“Art Deco reflected the plurality of the contemporary world. Unlike its functionalist sibling, Modernism, it responded to the human need for pleasure and escape.”
Do you remember the classic cheetah by Cartier? This luxury brand is using the movement of the cheetah to present its own interpretation of Art Deco jewelry.
For the first time, speed and power was showcased in jewelry, breaking down the the tradition of jewelry design.
Art Deco Period: Art Deco Versus Art Nouveau
Back in the early 20th century, Europe was undergoing a profound social transformation. After a terrible war, everything seemed to have restarted from scratch and a new world was born in the ashes.
People came out of the gloom of death, and the revolution in thoughts was gradually weakening the influence of culture bound by traditions and as a result, a new art emerged.
Art Deco originated from the Art Nouveau movement at the end of the nineteenth century in Paris.
Art Nouveau was a popular style pursued by the middle class in Europe and the United States at that time. Its main feature was those elegant and sensitive lines found in nature, called Organic Lines, such as the shape of flowers and animals.
Artists of this school especially preferred to use lines to depict vine plants and oriental cultural patterns, such as Japanese ukiyoe.
Characterisctis of Art Deco
But unlike Art Nouveau, Art Deco seems to favor mechanical, geometric and pure decorative lines to express the beauty of the Industrial Age.
Typical patterns include fan-shaped radial sunlight, gear-shaped or streamlined lines, symmetrical and simple geometric composition and so on.
In terms of colors, Art Deco uses a lot of bright and contrasting colors, with a strong visual impact, such as bright red, scary pink, electrical blue, alarming yellow, metallic gold or silver white and so on.
In the later period, with archaeological discoveries, objects or totems of ancient cultures such as the Far East, the Middle East, Greece, Rome, Egypt, and Maya have also become inspirations for Art Deco,
Such as funerary items of Egyptian tombs, African wood carvings, and Greek classical column architecture and so on.
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Art Deco is diverse and full of charm. To be brief, its main feature is the regular repetition of a simple geometric pattern, which eventually forms a more complex but highly rhythmic pattern that brings strong visual impacts.
What makes Art Deco Jewelry so special?
1. Bold colors as a key element in design.
The 1920s that gave birth to Art Deco jewelry was not gray-toned era. In fact, these colorful jewelry pieces successfully captured the vibrant and optimistic mood of European society at that time.
Art deco jewelry emphasizes the use of bright, solid, contrasting and metallic colors to create a gorgeous visual feast, which is actually a major breakthrough for jewelry design.
2. A clear reference to exotic cultures.
Within 10 years after archaeologists discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922, a new trend of Egyptian decoration swept the jewelry industry.
As European and American capitalism expanded outwards and explored the rest of the world, Art Deco was also getting influenced by Persian, Indian, and Far Eastern cultures.
Inspired by these ancient exotic cultures, large amounts of exquisite Art Deco works were born.
3. Geometric symmetry with sharp edges.
Combined with the mechanical aesthetics that emerged in the industrial era, Art Deco jewelry emphasizes mechanical and purely decorative lines, mostly using geometric shapes or polylines to decorate.
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However, this inspiration is still originated from ancient Egyptian and ancient Indian culture in Central and South America.
In addition, Art Deco jewelry, which is characterized by a typical symmetrical design, replaced the old cumbersome jewelry style, with rigor, stability and modernity.
Although its design is relatively simple and regular, it did set the trend and bring about a brand new concept.
4. New cutting techniques.
During this period, innovative gem-cutting techniques such as square, rectangular, kite-shaped have injected new vitality into jewelry design.
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Before the 20th century, gemstones were mainly cut into round, oval, pointed oval, pear, etc. The pursuit of geometry of Art Deco prompted a variety of geometric cuts in gemstones, such as square, rectangular, kite shape, bullet shape, triangle, half moon, swing shape and so on.
Among all brands, Tiffany has made an important contribution to this progress.
5. New materials: color, color, color!
During the Art Deco period, platinum was the most widely used metal. In terms of stones, designers preferred diamonds and colored gemstones, especially the most important three: sapphire, emerald and ruby.
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All these efforts to make the pieces bright, shining and colorful! Of course, as mentioned above, new fancy cuts were also invented to show the unparalleled beauty of such gemstones.
Regarding purchases, Art Deco Jewelry or Style?
First of all, as editors we want to remind you that there are two types of Art Deco jewelry on the market: first one is “jewelry made during the Art Deco period “, which means antique jewelry;
The latter is “Art Deco style jewelry”, which refers to the new reproduction of “jewelry made during the Art Deco period”.
The former “jewelry made during the Art Deco period” is often found in auctions, usually expensive and requires strong financial resources.
It is worth noting that this type of antique jewelry usually has some wear and flaws due to the passage of time or improper preservation of its predecessors.
This is unavoidable and normal, and it is also one of the basis for identification.
If you mind this then it is not recommended for you to collect antique Art Deco jewelry. Of course, there are well-preserved ones too, but such are is very precious.
The latter “Art Deco style jewelry” can be found in high-end brands. Although they are usually a replica or a resign, they are still stunning with such a distinctive style and therefore worth buying.
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When making the purchase, be sure to also screen the quality of gemstones and craftsmanship of the whole piece.
The price of Art Deco style jewelry is mostly determined by the quality of jewelry, apart from premium, ranging from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars. Thus, they are more suitable for daily wear or collection for Art Deco jewelry lovers.
A few pieces of delicate Art Deco Jewelry
If you want to ask what style has lasted for nearly a hundred years but is still popular? Art Deco can be regarded as one. Whenever we think that all possibilities have been exhausted, it reforms and again stands at the front of the trend.
Below are a few hand picked Art Deco jewelry pieces that we hope you would enjoy.
1. Pearls as a design highlight that never fade
Pearls are said to be a design highlight that never fades in the industry of jewelry. Whether they go as the main character or a supporting role, pearls can always achieve a fine tuning touch.
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In addition to being used as a densely chained necklace or a pair of complicated metal earrings, or as an embellishment on the hair, pearls immediately bring out nobleness and elegance in a woman, making the wearer feel like a bride to be married.
There are few women’s jewelry pieces more timeless than pearls, and these unique earrings and necklace are the perfect twist on a classic. Gold and pearl earrings are a jewelry must-have, perfect for anything from a day at the office to a night on the town.
Shine on in the fine craftsmanship and unmatched quality of these 14kt yellow gold and pearls and you will know why they are a forever favorite.
Pearl jewelry is perfect for the modern woman with a sophisticated sense of fashion. Whether you prefer modern or traditional jewelry, pearls help display a luxurious statement.
2. Can’t talk about Art Deco Jewelry without colorful gemstones
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Can’t talk about Art Deco Jewelry without colorful gemstones indeed. It is one of the most distinguishing features of such a style.
Nowadays especially with new cutting and embedding technologies you can totally enjoy the natural beauty of crystals combined with rare metals.
Add a color boost to your ensemble with these blissful jewelry. They showcase precious and colorful gemstones such as lush milky aquamarine, amethyst, sapphire, onyx, opal and diamonds in an elegant 18kt yellow gold over sterling silver setting, which gives off a very interesting and elegant vibe: typical Art Deco.
3. Geometric patterns and diamonds: wow.
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Like most movements, the birth of Art Deco is a resistance to the pre-Edward era. It changed the softness of previous period and and pays more attention to the expression of graphics, linear and geometry.
What are your thoughts?
Art Deco period is short and as a result, the number of remaining works is also very limited. Times shape cultures.
When people no longer wanted to be stuck by the complex classic aesthetics, Art deco came into being and seized our attention in a timely manner, in the 1920s.
The most valuable thing about jewelry during the Art Deco period is that it invented a new approach integrate different cultures in the world, different regional characteristics, and different materials of gems as inspiration for bold artistic processing.
This unprecedented and prosperous scenery not only praises the diversity of art, but also broadens our vision of the world.
Art Deco Jewelry continues to influence today’s designs and is constantly being loved and reproduced. In this changing society, it is becoming increasingly distinctive in its new modern style.
Conclusion on Art Deco Jewelry
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