TeenAngster: The Serpent, the Symbol

{credits: white snake ring, black/gold snake ring, diamond snake ring, gold double headed snake ring, turquoise snake ring, victorian snake bracelet, diamond snake earrings, escher snakes, gold and diamond head snake ring, snake brooch with pearl, eternity snake ring}

Hello! This is Alison of TeenAngster, here to opine on snakes, Victorians and love without end. Enjoy.

While I can say that I love many things — butter; folk art; the Real Housewives franchise — symbolism truly makes me weak in the knees. In fact, my upcoming wedding is stacked with layers of meaning, from the favors (Odd Fellows ribbons) to the table decorations (secret society handshake instructions) and the location (a Victorian social club, natch). So while I considered opining on many things relating to love — the nature of swans, who mate for life, or aging couples who still hold hands — I couldn’t ignore my current obsession: conjoined snakes and their symbolism in Victorian jewelry.

Say what? Well, in addition to being cold-blooded reptiles that give many folks the heebie jeebs, snakes have been symbols of eternity, love and wisdom since ancient Greek and Roman times. Besides the intimacy of their interlocking forms, why not consider the obvious: intellectual jewelry is way more intriguing than simply putting a shiny thing on your finger and calling it a day. (See, I can justify anything.)

The snake’s popularity reached its zenith after Prince Albert gave Queen Victoria, pictured above, an engagement ring in the form of two snakes in a circle: an enchanting symbol of eternal love and, in fact, the first recorded engagement ring. As befitting the “sentimental era,” love tokens, mementos, and souvenirs were all the rage; since Queen V was young, cute and a bit of a trendsetter, snakes were soon on fingers, ears and necks across the land.

Considered a nod to infinity and love without end, I find this jewelry to be all kinds of inspiring and, since I’ve been trawling the Internet in search of the perfect antique conjoined snake piece for my wedding, I thought I’d share some of my favorites above.

But the symbolism doesn’t end there. Victorian times were notoriously — well, Victorian. Close-lipped. Quiet! You couldn’t express your love so freely back then, so you had to turn to nature, be it ivy, serpents or lilacs, to get your point across.

And just for fun, here’s a contemporary get-up that I’m considering for my wedding day. While I may worship at the altar of Victoria, I’ve gotta be a twenty-first century gal sometimes.

{credits: perfume in porcelain bottle, feather silk-chiffon gown, burnt gold drip earrings, orange clutch, red lipstick, shoes, ring}

Psst. If you’re into Victorian symbolism, there’s more where this came from. Check out floriography, the Victorian-era means of communication in which various flowers and floral arrangements were used to send coded messages, allowing individuals to express feelings which otherwise could not be spoken.

THANK YOU, ALISON! Make sure to check out Alison’s blog, TeenAngster AND you can also find her on Twitter!

Image credits: 1. Victoria by George Hayter 2. Alison’s Polyvore set 3. Vicoria’s wedding by George Hayter 4. Alison’s Polyvore set