Although less well-known today, European jewellery jewellery worn with traditional or national costume was highly fashionable in nineteenth-century Britain. This book draws together a wide selection of beautiful pieces, originating from across the continent from Iceland in the north to Cyprus off the shores of Asia to demonstrate the wonderful variety of this jewellery.

Spectacular examples include gilded Norwegian wedding crowns and extravagant golden crosses of Normandy, ornate earrings of Spain and Italy, and imposing filigree clasps from the Balkans. The book illustrates how the jewellery was originally worn with traditional dress, and explores its popularity in the nineteenth century.

Jane Perry is a visiting scholar at the V&A, involved in cataloguing and studying its extensive collection of European traditional jewellery. She has written many articles on aspects of nineteenth-century jewellery and is the author of A Collectors Guide to Peasant Silver Buttons (2007).