Acrostic jewelry came into existence in the Gregorian era and flourished through Queen Victoria’s reign. It was a popular kind of jewelry during the Gregorian and Victorian eras and is characterized by having the first letter of the name of each stone spell out a word.

An obscure subgenre of jewelry today, acrostic jewelry has gems with secret messages coded in them. It was developed as a way to communicate terms of endearment and important dates or names using the first letter of each gemstone contained within the piece.

In acrostic jewelry, the first letter of each gemstone in a piece spells out a word. You most commonly see acrostic jewelry spelling out classic terms of endearment, like “adore,” “regard,” “dear,” or “dearest.” For example, an acrostic ring spelling out “dear” would feature a Diamond, Emerald, Amethyst, and Ruby to spell out D-E-A-R. Another popular example during Victorian reign is “regard” rings which featured a Ruby, Emerald, Garnet, Amethyst, another Ruby, and a Diamond. “Adore” and “Regard” were among two of the most popular phrases spelled out with stones, but people also used dates or spelled out their own messages that were more personal, some of which might’ve taken longer to decipher. Usually, it was very clear in that it was an acrostic piece because of the sometimes odd combination of stones.

It is believed that acrostic jewelry was first created by Jean-Baptiste Mellerio of the House of Mellerio, who started designing jewels with gems that spelled out “j’adore.” Napoleon Bonaparte admired Mellario’s acrostic designs and commissioned acrostic jewels for both Empress Josephine and his second wife, Empress Marie Louise.

Secret messages of love encoded in gems went perfectly with the Georgian and Victorian love of romance and symbolic meanings. These sentimental jewels would have been gifted to lovers, family members, or even treasured friends. Acrostic pieces are highly collectible and are becoming harder and harder to find. Most of the pieces featured in this post are already held in precious collections of collectors in a safe somewhere, but not all. If you see one you adore, don’t miss the opportunity to possess it!

Trends and fads can go in and out of style, while others endure. If you sell jewelry, would you rather match the current trends or create a new, unique style?

At Lao Pride Inc, we can customize fine jewelry according to your request, whether you desire to be a trendsetter or trend-follower.

Our global customers remain loyal due to our high quality and excellent service. If you’ve thought it would be a hassle trying a new manufacturer and haven’t considered doing so, you’ll want to hear how we can offer you convenience by doing everything from design to final product and even advertisement photos, and we may be able to increase your profit margin as well!

Contact us today to learn how we can support you in being the go-to seller of fine jewelry.