In the mid-nineteenth century, men wished to balance the sobriety of their clothing: if fashion dictated drab coloring, they could add ornament. Hence gentlemen came to display a selection of male jewellery, including the watch chain or ‘albert’ with its attachments – watch-keys, seals, fobs, compasses, pencils, vestas and the like. Studs, cravat pins, flower holders, cuff-links and special dress buttons for waistcoats were also widely used. Many of the items described and illustrated here are highly collectible and can still be worn today, often providing a stimulating conversion point.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the mid-19th century, men wished to balance the sobriety of their clothing: if fashion dictated drab colouring, they could add ornament. Hence gentlemen came to display a selection of male jewellery, including the watch chain or ‘albert’ with its attachments – watch-keys, seals, fobs, compasses, pencils, vestas and the like.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[142],"product_tag":[28044,349],"class_list":{"0":"post-92218","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","5":"product_cat-general-non-fiction","6":"product_tag-cultural-studies-fashion-society","7":"product_tag-social-cultural-history","8":"pa_book_author-eckstein-e","9":"pa_cover-paperback","10":"pa_dewey-391-44094109034-edition22","11":"pa_imprint-shire-publications","12":"pa_language-english","13":"pa_pages-8253","14":"pa_publisher-shire-publications-ltd","15":"pa_readership-general-trade-code-k","17":"first","18":"onbackorder","19":"taxable","20":"shipping-taxable","21":"purchasable","22":"product-type-simple"},"yoast_head":"\n