The Edwardian Period (1900-1910) was a somewhat short period following Queen Victoria's long reign. Edward the Seventh ascended to the throne following her death, but he would only reign for ten years. In that time, the technology for melting platinum had finally been developed and the very rare metal now could be used for jewelry. Among the many advantageous properties of platinum, the unrivaled ductile property of it allowed jewelers to make very intricate and detailed designs that look lacey and feminine. The style of jewelry known as "Garland Jewelry" is from the period.
Many Edwardian designs have lots of filigree with both large and small diamonds. Pearls from all over the world also found homes in some of these designs. Along with the technology that had been developed for the use of platinum, new diamond cutting methods were allowing a now round shaped diamond, the Old European cut diamond, to be used in Edwardian era designs. Old Mine cut diamonds were mostly being phased out in favor of these round shaped diamonds. The diamond tiara is a product that came into high fashion during that period and it signified wealth.
