The end of September is just around the corner and we’re super excited for the ramp-up to Halloween!
Halloween is the best time to adorn yourself with fabulous Gothic jewels and the antique world is a great place to find both inspiration and supernatural pieces. From eccentric Operculum Shells to witchy jet and blood-coloured Garnets, there is an array of jewellery styles that would be the perfect icing on the cake for a standout Halloween-inspired outfit.
Victorian Bohemian Garnet Bangle
To kickstart one of the best months of the year, we decided to have a little bit of fun! We have curated some exclusive Lillicoco Halloween themed pictures for you, to act as both inspiration and so you know exactly what will complete your Halloween outfit. Jewellery is, and will always be, the perfect “cherry on top” for making your look stand out.
From a blood-thirsty Vampire Queen to an enchanting witchy Sorceress and glowing Fortune Teller, these not-so-basic Halloween looks will knock your socks off! In this blog post, we look to not only how our collection looks but the gemstones and motifs that occur. For centuries, certain gemstones and motifs are believed to possess powerful innate qualities that are just magical in every way!
But Halloween doesn’t just start and end here, keep your eyes peeled in the next coming weeks to see the rest of our Halloween content!
Seductive Sorceress
Hubble bubble, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble, here is some freshly brewed jewellery that takes you to the dark lair of a Victorian witches cave.
In the days of yore, witches were feared, believing that their magic was heretical and contrary to God’s wishes. This meant that many women were grotesquely murdered for these crimes, simply just for looking like a witch! It is believed that thousands of women died in between 1400-1700, and even though witch hunting was outlawed in 1736, they were still hunted way into the 19th century.
Today, witchcraft is still practised avidly by Pagans and those who believe in the feminine divine. Witchcraft or “Wicca” is now actually considered, dare I say it?! ... “trendy” amongst many women of all ages, but particularly Millenials and Gen.x who find the connection to nature and it’s innate sensuality attractive, as well as the fact Wicca often encapsulates rituals of self-love and the ever-important concept of women taking back their power. (We’re all for it!)
A witch is also one of the most popular Halloween costumes, and with our selection of jewellery, it was a delight to bring this sorceress to life!
When styling this piece, the first thing that came to mind was colours - and what better paranormal concoction is purple, green, red, Silver and Gold?!
Antique 15ct Gold Emerald Paste Ring
Art Deco Chrysoprase Marcasite Ring
To make this witchy look, we have selected the very best haunting accessories. The combination of the purple paste and green Emeralds in the antique 15ct Gold Emerald Paste ring on the middle finger above instantly gives us a bewitching vibe. The ring shank dates to 1790 and features beautiful engravings that enhance its ornate aura! Another powerful green entity is this Arts and Crafts Silver Chrysoprase ring (below). The beautiful openwork Silver is characteristic of the Arts and Crafts era, and the witchy apple green of that Chrysoprase (we could bite into it but we wouldn’t dare!) is irresistible. We have paired these rings with plump Pearl and Emerald rings, giving you a powerful potion for the senses.
Arts and Crafts Silver Chrysoprase Ring
Georgian 18ct Gold Pearl Emerald Cluster Ring
For antique witchy jewellery, if you are going to go all out with brooches, then you really need a witches heart brooch! Witches' heart brooches like this one were very popular in the 17th and 18th century. The tail of a witches’ heart brooch sways slightly to the side and is also known as a luckenbooth brooch. These brooches were pinned to the blankets of new born babies, as it was believed to protect them. They were also given to loved ones as a sign that they were “bewitched” by the other. This Witches heart brooch is inlaid with gorgeous bright white and green Paste gems.
Antique Silver Paste Witches Heart Brooch
When creating our witchy looks, we couldn’t resist the allure and gravitational pull of cut steel jewellery. This dramatic Georgian cut steel necklace is so enchanting - don’t you agree? Elegant sweet hearts sweep across your neckline, and the glow of the cut steel gems are sharp and exquisite.
Antique Cut Steel Necklace, 18"
Cut steel became very fashionable in the 18th century as it was an affordable, yet dignified, way to possess excessive sparkle!
Cut Steel first became fashionable in Paris, as the King Louis XV asked the public to donate their jewellery to fund the “Seven Years War”, Cut Steel was therefore the worthy replacement accessory. We have paired the moody glow of this Cut Steel necklace with this incredible Cut Steel bangle. The strands shimmy as you walk, akin to delicately crafted cobwebs, certainly adding an element of wow factor to this look.
Georgian Cut Steel Beaded Bracelet
Our last witchy pick are these fabulous Art Nouveau Amethyst Enamel necklace and Amethyst Riviere. The Arts and Crafts era and Art Nouveau is a great point of reference for spooky but cool jewellery, as every piece has a whimsical yet rebellious touch about it. These eras encapsulate Gothic glamour with their stylised shapes and detailed openwork elements. Like in our ring choice, purple and green are the perfect combination for a quintessential fairytale-esque witch, with the two colours coming alive in this pendant.
Art Nouveau Silver Amethyst Enamel Pendant Necklace
Amethyst is another gemstone that was used to protect mystical undoings, which is why it is a must within a witch's wardrobe! This riviere is actually crafted from deep purple Paste, designed to look just like Amethyst itself! These Amethyst paste gemstones are snug within Sterling Silver, and would look ravishing with a black dress or in our case, a bright Green velvet one!
Pumpkins as props, as always, are an optional addition! But if you want to reference the luminous orange tones, why not incorporate Carnelian in your ensemble like this Arts and Crafts Carnelian Silver Necklace?
Antique Arts and Crafts Era Carnelian Silver Necklace
Fabulous Fortune Teller
A Fortune teller may not be the most stereotypical of Halloween costumes, but it allows you to get immersed within your jewellery collection. Fortune telling is an historic art that is still practised today, whether using tarot cards, astrology, crystal balls, palm readings or pendulums. In the middle ages, fortune telling was imperative, with Kings and Queens often having court fortune tellers that could predict wars, financial shortcomings, droughts, floods and births of heirs.
To create an other-worldly Fortune Teller look, we have taken inspiration from the Fortune Teller’s main prop - a crystal ball. Let’s take a look at how we have interpreted this.
Antique 15ct Gold Opal Multi-Gemstone Cluster Ring
Victorian 18ct Gold Opal Diamond Ring
Gemstones like Opals, Diamonds, Sapphires and Moonstones always possess a mystical allure, and it is these gemstones that we have been inspired by to create our look for you! We have selected a few of our divine Opal Diamond rings, as well as our Victorian gypsy rings too. In fact, Fortune Tellers have originated from Romany Gypsy traveller culture. Although gypsy rings mainly reference the gypsy flush setting of the gem, incorporating these gypsy rings are an apt way to nod to its provenance! Not to mention, gypsy rings are very wearable and glamorous for other occasions too!
Antique 15ct Gold Diamond Gypsy Ring
Antique 18ct Gold Diamond Sapphire Gypsy Ring
We believe that a Moonstone necklace is a must for any fortune teller, and this antique Moonstone Silver festoon necklace is Gothic and powerful. With a combined Moonstone carat weight of 35.00ct, the naturally oxidised Sterling Silver gives this piece a moody look that is perfect for Halloween!
Moonstones are believed to be innately supernatural gemstones, holding the ray of the Moon within its centres, and possessing deep feminine energy. We paired this piece with a spectacular Victorian Moonstone brooch! This brooch has a whopping 19.10ct of glorious cabochon Moonstones, which can also be fashioned into a drop pendant.
Victorian Ceylon Moonstone Silver Fringe Necklace, 16 & 1/2"
Victorian Gold Moonstone Cabochon Brooch
When devising this look, we couldn’t resist these Victorian Pools of Light earrings. Pools of light are the closest piece of antique jewellery to a crystal ball, and are made from pure Rock Crystal quartz. Pools of Light jewellery was very fashionable in the Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco era as they were able to refract and play with light (so perfect for the 1920's dancefloors!).
Rock Crystal is believed to help open and clarify your mind, so very apt for a Fortune Teller look. What's more, it is also believed that Pools of Light contain good “chi” within its spheres, so really it also gives you luck. Luck that hopefully the future will hold!
Antique 18ct Gold Pools of Light Earrings
For us, Fortune tellers connote ethereal femininity with a soupçon of darkness. With this in mind, we chose to incorporate crescent moons and banded agates into this look too. As evident in both our New Beginnings symbolism and Victorian symbolism blogs. This beautifully detailed crescent moon Pearl brooch is slim, long and elegant, and is perfect for adding both antique glamour and meaning to your outfit.
Victorian 15ct Gold Pearl Crescent Moon Brooch
A fortune teller is a great supernatural and unique choice for Halloween this year, if only we could see as to what 2021 has in store for us...
Voracious Vampire Queen
There were a few things that came to mind when devising our seductive Vampire Queen, but there was one thing that we could all agree on - Garnets.
Whether ranging from deep red wine tones to bright fiery scarlet, Victorian and Georgian Garnet jewellery is in a complete league of their own. The pools of blood vibe that antique Bohemian Garnets exhibit was the first thing that we thought of. We were inspired by our former blog “Bring Back the Brooch” when putting this look together - just look how these Garnets look on the sash of this gown and on the lapel of this vintage cream blazer!
Garnets have been used in jewellery since ancient civilisations, and were believed to be talismans for Kings and warriors in battle as Garnets possessed life-giving and protective qualities. Garnets in the Medieval period were symbolic of Christ’s passion and martyrdom, so they were widely incorporated into religious jewellery.
Bohemian Garnets like these brooches, were very popular in the 18th and 19th century because of Garnets found in large deposits in Bohemia. The style was to have a mixture of cabochon and rose cuts, displayed in elegant star and circular designs and set in low carat "Garnet Gold". If you want a standout Halloween costume, then treat yourself to the whole stack!
Victorian Bohemian Garnet Star Brooch
Antique Garnet Cluster Brooch with Garnet Drop
Antique Large Bohemian Garnet Brooch
Victorian Garnet Cluster Brooch
Victorian Garnet Star Burst Brooch
Of course, to compliment these Garnet brooches, we chose one of our favourite pieces in the collection - Our Perpignan Garnet riviere. This Perpignan Garnet necklace is just over 14 inches in length, so its a fabulous collar choker necklace, and the rose pear cut Garnets shimmy and flicker as you walk. Need we say more?
Antique Perpignan Garnet Necklace
A fabulous vampy look wouldn’t be complete without antique mourning jewellery! Wearing mourning jewellery dates back to the Middle Ages and was considered to be a sentimental way to remember someone who has passed away.
Mourning jewellery reached its peak in the Victorian era, especially after Prince Albert passed away in 1861. Mourning jewellery was crafted from Garnets, Pearls, Banded Agate, Jet, Onyx, and Black Enamel as well as White Enamel. Mourning jewellery is also very collectible in the antique world, as it truly captures the Victorian eccentricities that many know and love. In this ring stack we have chosen some of our finest pieces of mourning jewellery rings. Including a c.1811 Garnet and Pearl cluster ring, a c.1807 Jet and Hair ring and this rare Georgian enamel flip mourning ring, c.1814.
Georgian Gold Garnet Pearl Mourning Ring
Georgian Jet Cluster Mourning Ring
Georgian Enamel Pearl Flip Mourning Ring
And last, but certainly not least, this Silver Paste heart pendant is another affordable piece of Gothic antique jewellery. This pendant in particular was crafted at the start of the Victorian era, dating to 1840. The entirety of the pendant is encrusted with white Paste gemstones and a blood red Paste at the centre. Like the Witches heart brooch, this pendant slightly curves to the right, giving this piece extra spooky credentials!
Antique Silver Paste Heart Pendant
Thats the last of our Halloween picks! But, can we just take a moment to appreciate this adorable pink pumpkin?
Our photographers have done an amazing job with these photographs, wouldn’t you agree? Which one is your favourite and, the most important question of all, what will you be going for Halloween this year?
Let us know in the comments below!