Which manufacturing changes transformed jewelry production during the 19th century?

During the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution fundamentally transformed jewelry production, shifting it from a symbol of social rank to a consumer good accessible to the middle class. This transition was driven by several key manufacturing changes:12

• Mechanization: Jewelry production increasingly relied on machines to create hundreds of different components for ornaments, facilitating mass production.1
• New Techniques and Materials: Innovations included the invention of electric gold-plating and the widespread use of metal alloys as substitutes for gold and silver. Additionally, the production of imitation stones improved significantly in both quality and quantity.1
• Commercial Expansion: The era saw the establishment of large artistic commercial firms—such as those founded by Peter Carl Fabergé, Charles Lewis Tiffany, and Cartier—that balanced high-quality craftsmanship with the demands of a growing bourgeois market.12

While these industrial shifts dominated the century, the late 1800s also saw the rise of the Art Nouveau movement, which reacted against these trends by prioritizing symbolic and decorative design over the intrinsic value of materials.1