Downton Abbey catch up and Edwardian lavalier coral and pearl

We were away for a break with friends for a week and could not get to watch the first 2 episodes of PBS' Downton Abbey. Checking my missed blog friend posts, I found out from Jane Austen Today that I could catch up by watching online at the PBS Masterpiece website.  WOO HOO!!! Life is good! Now I'm up to speed for Sunday's episode 3.

After watching, I think Maggie Smith...who regularly is a scene stealer of the best type...had some of the best lines. What a crack up and what a snobbish battleax she portays!  The settings are the stars as well, down to the great period details. I love the imari teaset the dowager Countess was using and the way she properly warmed the teapot and used the slop or waste bowl...I think I have that set online at the moment...or at least some similar...

For those of you who aren't familiar with imari...the English china that appeared in the 1850s was actually a copy of the just discovered colorful design of the Imari region of Japan and were wildly popular until the 1920s when they began to wane in popularity. The colors were bright cobalt blue, rust, green and almost always had imaginitive hand painted gold accents and trim. All the major potteries made imari design of one kind or another.
You can see more examples at Time Was Antiques here is a link to our Imari china category:
Imari at Time Was Antiques


Another neat example of the Edwardian period so beautifully illustrated by Downton Abbey is the jewelry styles. Edwardian is technically from the death of Queen Victoria in 1901 to the reign of George V in the early 1920s-1930s when a more modern style with less belle epoque ornamentation came to the forefront.
This is a period example of an Edwardian lavalier necklace of 10kt gold with a genuine branch of coral and a fresh water pearl, ornamented with pink and green gold.

For more info and photos use this link:
Antique Edwardian lavalier at Time Was Antiques


I hope you have a wonderful day...and don't miss the next episode of Downton Abbey which is a tour de force of period mores, styles, attitdues and traditions as well as drop dead gorgeous scenery and ambiance. To watch online, visit:
Masterpiece Theater Downton Abbey on PBS