#That belonged to wealthy people used low carat weight metals and glass or semi precious stones

[marzipanandminutiae]

"But what did a wealthy Victorian woman's maid wear?"

Very similar outfits to their rich counterparts, but with less expensive fabrics and trims, things like long skirt trains removed for practicality, cheap costume jewelry instead of high-karat gold or sterling silver and precious stones, etc. You can find plenty of photos of maids from the mid to late 19th century wearing earrings, brooches, bracelets, chatelaines, etc.

"But they're just posing for pictures! That's not what they REALLY wore!"

Maybe not for days when they were doing a lot of intensive physical labor, no. But the fact that they COULD pose for pictures in those items means that they owned them. So that's… Still something a maid wore at the time. It's also just unreasonable to claim, when we know costume jewelry existed and they were dressmakers catering to women with less money, that every single one of them was wearing something borrowed from an employer

(and they had plenty of tasks that were absolutely doable wearing earrings and a brooch, to boot. Even potentially a bracelet, if it's not large or dangly enough to get in the way)

Additionally, even the photos I've seen of maids in very simple outfits without a lot of accessories can usually be dated by the hairstyle, sleeve shape, skirt silhouette, etc. Just like a photograph of a Duchess could. It's very simple and unobtrusive and inexpensive to change those subtle details in accordance with the fashion

The fact is, these people were people. Just like we are today. But they wanted to wear the nicest things they could, in terms of practicality and budget. many people try to copy what celebrities wear today, who definitely can't afford to buy the same brands that they do, right? Why would it be any different in the past?