Art Deco: The History of Jewelry, Jewellery and Jewelery - 1Earth Jewelry, Antiques and Appraisals Magazine

Art Deco Jewelry 1910-1939
by Roy DeNunzio

The Art Deco movement began before WWI, picked up speed right after, and barreled through history until WWII brought it to a screeching halt. It saw Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini, the rise of Communism, and China's imperial dynasty overthrown by a Republic. Machu Picchu is discovered, so is King Tut, and the Panama Canal is opened.

Cellophane, penicillin, latex and nylon make the scene. Television, radar, the ballpoint pen, helicopters and the parking meter take their first bow. Rockets, antibiotics and the great Stock Market Crash change the world. Pluto is discovered, the planet not the dog, and the newly found galaxy of Andromeda steals some thunder from the Milky Way.

Talking pictures are invented and the filmed version of Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind becomes state-of-the-art. Germany decides upon a Final Solution, and the civilized world temporarily comes to an end.

Art Deco began with a rejection of Victorian values. When Serge Diaghilev presented Nijinksy and the Ballet Russe in the 1909 production of Scheherezade, the bold and exotic colors, so distinctly Oriental, with their shocking reds paired with blacks, and their cool blues coupled with vibrant greens galvanized the public imagination. Extraordinary artists like Matisse and Picasso were coaxed into creating sets for the theater, and through their efforts exposed the public to Expressionism, Futurism and Cubism. The Egyptian rage took off with the discovery of King Tut's tomb, while Jazz and Josephine Baker made African Art and everything Negro gorgeously exciting and taboo. The Exposition of Decorative Arts and Modern Manufacturers in 1925 Paris gave the movement its name; the grudging alliance between art and industry began, with the mutual challenge of producing quality designs that could be mass-produced. The partnership succeeded beyond everyone's wildest dreams. Everything from toasters to ocean liners, ceramics, graphics, bookbinding and furniture reflected the new style. Rockefeller Center, temple of Art Deco, survives today to attest to the movement's great influence. And, of course, there was the jewelry.

Geometry and symmetry in jewellery design
Geometry and symmetry marked the look. Bold design and color emphasized it. Yet, the form was still flexible enough to incorporate Egyptian, African, Oriental and Native American motifs into its functional lines. Black and white infused with dramatic color was the style hallmark. That meant the whiteness of diamond or crystal combined with platinum, and black onyx or enameling combined again with diamonds or crystals. Motifs included the colorful fruit salad or the flower basket, the Egyptian scarab, the Ziggurat, lightening bolt, Aztec pyramid, and the sleek greyhound. The early Deco period of 1909-1925, aptly called Art Deco, was graceful and feminine, with formalized floral designs that borrowed the radical chic of Art Nouveau's free flowing curves and naturalistic motifs; but, it made them more austere with precise curves and ovals, and starkly formalized floral representations. The later Deco period of 1925 to World War II is called Art Moderne, or Modernism. This replaced Art Nouveau's soft and feminine natural lines, pastel colors and floral excess with vivid colors and color combinations. It took the Edwardian's Garland design as a starting point and made it austere, geometric, symmetrical and strongly Cubist.

Lustrous platinum still ruled the roost, and the new cubist influence demanded fashionable cuts in the ever-popular diamond, such as baguette, emerald, triangle, shield, pear and marquise. Colored gemstones were in no way avoided, with rubies, sapphires and emeralds maintaining their mystique. Center stones were fine and faceted, while accent stones were done as cabochons, carved leaves, or calibré-cuts.

Pearls cultured on a huge scale grew in popularity and found their way into chokers, long ropes and sautoirs. The carry-over Oriental influence of Art Nouveau was evident in the continued popularity of enameling, especially Cloisonné enameling in red and black. The irrepressible Coco Chanel made it popular and acceptable to wear costume jewelry made of Bakelite plastic, imitation pearls, aluminum, chrome, marcasite, glass and rhinestones. This fun, fake, day jewelry was enjoyed for its own sake. However, when it ceased to be an inside joke, and people started to wear it seriously as an imitation of the real thing, those with taste and discretion shunned it as cheap.

The Modern Age in Jewelry Fashion
The liberated female of the Roaring 20s became the leading icon of the age. Gone were the sentimental cameos, chatelaines, tiaras and diadems of the past. An emancipated style requires an emancipated look. The plunging necklines of the day called for long pendants, and sautoirs with tassels. Short hair made decorative combs obsolete, but exposed the ears to assertive earrings like long dangles. Short sleeves or entirely sleeveless dresses invited bracelets and bangles, some even worn on the upper arms, and many done in flexible platinum while decorated with diamonds accented by colored gemstones. Popular were the jabot pin, and the double clip brooch worn together or separated, usually on a belt or cloche hat. The wristwatch, long-chained pendant watch, and jewel-encrusted lapel watch all told women how valuable their time was. Then there were these sophisticated new entertainments called cocktail parties, which demanded sophisticated cocktail rings. And, indispensable for the new woman on the move, were compacts, minaudières, cigarette cases and sleek, elegant cigarette holders.

Even though the period glorified the quality of mass-produced articles, the individually handcrafted piece was still the best and most valued. Many of the leading designers tried their hand at it successfully; while the U.S. led in the greatest mass-production of Art Deco, it was Paris where the Deco spirit truly thrived and found its finest artistic fruition. Recent exhibitions have revived an interest in Art Deco. But, like Art Nouveau, its real life ended decades ago. The Great Depression of the 1930s weakened its creative spirit and effectively sapped its will, before World War II killed it entirely. After that, a war-ravaged Europe was too weary to resurrect it, and the spanking-clean middle-class that emerged in America after the great conflict had no time for the movement's elite nuances. In this brave new world Art Deco hadn't a chance.