Create Regency Style Acrostic Jewelry

During the Regency, acrostic jewellery came into vogue. These brooches, rings and other ornaments used gemstones beginning with each letter of the alphabet to spell out sentimental sayings such as LOVE, DEAREST, or REGARD.

First created by the Mellerio Jewelry company (they claim to be the oldest family company in Europe) in Paris in 1809, the idea was mentioned by Étienne de Jouy in an article in an 1811 edition of Gazette de France, which in turn led to the style being adopted in England. Typically, the sentiment might be known only to the giver and recipient, as words could be in French or English and spell out names, initials, phrases (more typical of bracelets) and more. Kathryn Kane has created a fascinating study of this style of jewelry on her website, Regency Redingote. Georgian ‘dearest’ ring. c. 1820 courtesy of The Spare Room Antique Jewelry To create your own acrostic jewelry, you will need an assortment of rhinestones (glass works best), a multi-rhinestone setting with enough spaces to create your chosen word (both of these items are available from Jan' s Jewelry Supplies.) A finding for your setting (ring, brooch, etc) and metal or jewelry glue, such as E6000. Blank ring mounts can be found on sites such as Etsy. Choose your word and corresponding stone colours, and glue them into your setting (if you chose a setting with prongs you can use them to fasten your stone instead) Allow the glue to dry, and fasten on your backing. For a list of Alphabetical Gems, visit Kathryn Kane's Alphabet of Gems on Regency Redingote. You can also visit  Sahrye's fabulous DIY site, It Came from the Stash for further ideas on creating your one of a kind jewellery piece.