Antique Jewelry kinds of butterfly jewelry.
#6835 gemset butterfly. 
Last week we chatted about the popularity of butterflies and the variety of significance, meaning and symbolism they have in our world. Today, we will look at different kinds of butterfly jewelry.
We have every kind of jewelry representing butterflies. Rings, earrings with butterflies and of course, bracelets and necklaces. While butterflies feature in all kinds of jewelry, they are especially prevalent in brooches. The brooch offers more scope and space than most other forms of jewelry to represent these gorgeous creatures, whether realistically or symbolically.
#6396 Filigree butterfly Nouveau Necklace sold
Butterfly jewelry may be more than naturalistic-looking. It might incorporate actual butterfly wings in a gold mount. For hundreds of years, adults, soldiers, scholars and children of every ilk have collected butterflies. Even many a famous politician and prime minister ran around with a net and jar. This hobby is known as lepidoptery. While preserving the beautiful creatures is a challenge as they might disintegrate, eternalising them in a jewel is a good alternative, fitting for the beautiful butterfly's status.
#6920. Victorian brooch with real butterfly wings.
Many jewellers made highly realistic butterfly jewelry, using enamel on metal, usually silver. David Andersen, in Norway, and other Scandinavian jewellers around 1900 made such butterflie brooches, still relatively affordable to this day. On a way more exotic level (read rare and expensive) are the naturalistically enamelled butterflies of Carlo Giuliano, an Italian who became a famous jeweller in London during the late 19th century.
#6999 Pair of butterfly brooches. 
Moving away from direct realism, butterfly jewelry might take artistic license and be a little more symbolic. It might take a brief 2nd look, but we can easily discern the topic of this lovely jewelry.
#4665 Butterfly bracelet.
Throughout history, artists have attempted to capture the ephemeral beauty of butterflies. What greater medium to depict this wonder of nature than with another wonder of nature - beautiful gems. Paint and sculpture might depict the form and color of butterflies, but only gemstones can convey the glitter, gleam and natural iridescence of these creatures.
Many beautiful items of jewelry have used the butterfly image to show off a wonderful palette of colorful gems. Anyone interested in such jewelry can find pieces made over the centuries, some richer than others, some more technologically fabulous or artistic than others, but most very beautiful.
It was not only hundreds of years ago that people made beautiful butterfly jewelry. Butterfly jewelry is still made today. Here is a marvellously pave set butterfly from the 20th century
#6835
Butterflies are not the only winged creatures to have captured the imagination of jewelry artists. From birds and bats to every other form of insect, we can enjoy beautiful antique jewelry inspired by the winged world of wonder.
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