A Tour of the Biltmore Estate

I just finished a glorious vacation at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. While there I perused the gift shops with a particular interest in the jewelry offered by the Estate.

I expected to see jewelry styled in the fashion of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, the time period that was the Estate's heyday. Instead, the jewelry was very modern and greatly influenced by the large artisan community in the Asheville area.

The largest collection of jewelry was dichroic glass. The glass was boldly wire wrapped in sterling silver and very modern. The necklaces curled and twirled as they draped around the neck. The glass was primarily in pastel colors or in cool blue tones and the designs were very intricate.

An example of dichroic glass by Jewelry24Seven

The second largest collection of jewelry was wire wrapped stone pendants. These stones are wire wrapped in gold filled wire exclusively. The stones are a variety of jaspers and agates, with amethysts and opals thrown in for good measure. I did not see a single stone wrapped in sterling silver. Perhaps a new trend?

Wire Wrapped Blue Topaz in Gold Fill by YourDailyJewels

The stones averaged two inches in length. In contrast to the dichroic glass jewelry,
the wire wrapping was simple and straight forward. None of it detracted from the beauty of the stone. It simply acted as a frame for the stone. Only the bails have some slight embellishment.

The last collection of jewelry was found only in one gift shop. It was a small collection of spoon jewelry featuring watches, bracelets, pendants, and earrings.

The watches are stainless steel cases with sterling silver spoons for the braclets and closed with toggle clasps. The bracelets are made from more ornate spoons closing with toggle clasps. The pendants are made from spoons and forks twisted into unique shapes. The earrings are made from the ends of ornate spoons. This collection is closest to the time period in which the Biltmore Estate was at its height.

Downtown Asheville has a large artists' community filled with jewelers, painters, fiber artists, sculptors, and potters. This community has spilled over into the gift shops at the Biltmore Estate. This continues the efforts of George Vanderbilt to support his community when Biltmore House was first built in 1895.

Tourmaline Necklace