Art Deco style jewelry. Stylish jewelry in the art deco style Jewelry in the art deco style

In the 20-30s of the twentieth century, a direction in art was formed, which in America was called the “style of stars”, in Europe jazz modern, streamlined modern and zigzag modern. But this style is more known as Art Deco. And just like the star, this style burst into flames between the two world wars and was forgotten. After the shocks of the Second World War, it began to seem too archaic and pretentious.

Art Deco antiques on the world art market

It took several decades for the world antique market to remember and appreciate the spectacular and refined Art Deco products. The return of interest in the “star style” was influenced by the Paris Exhibition of 1966, and then by the famous sale at auction of a collection of Art Deco items by Jacques Doucet; these events made the works of “streamlined Art Nouveau” one of the most expensive and exclusive. Now purchase in the Art Deco style - a real event for collectors. After all, not many “jazz modern” products have survived. The rarity of Art Deco products can be explained simply; after the military disasters, few of them survived in Europe, and somewhat more in America. That's why buy antiques in the Art Deco style and at the same time being sure that it is not a fake is quite difficult.

Antique Art Deco jewelry: style features

The term Art Deco originated from the shortened name of the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris. In order to distinguish products of this style from Art Nouveau or later movements in art, it is worth remembering several of their external features: geometric shapes, a tendency towards stylization, the use of expensive and exotic materials, the use of various artistic techniques when working with the material. The twenties of the twentieth century were the time of discoveries of the treasures of ancient Egyptian civilization; artists used motifs of ancient Egyptian and ancient Greek art for many products.

Stylization based on African, Chinese and Japanese motifs was popular. In order to buy antiques It is Art Deco, and not a later fake, that is worth remembering about its main features.

The same style features are characteristic of antique Art Deco style. Jewelers combined in one product materials that were incompatible according to previously existing rules: semi-precious, ornamental and precious stones. By the way, jewelers of the predecessor of Art Deco - the Art Nouveau style - were the first to practice the use of semi-finished precious stones, to an earlier Victorian era Products using only precious stones were considered truly valuable jewelry. Art Nouveau brought stones such as opal into fashion, and artistic skill was considered more important than the cost of the material. This trend was continued and developed by Art Deco jewelers. The new style required non-standard and bold decisions. The famous jeweler Georges Fouquet combined enamel and diamonds, topazes and aquamarines in one piece. Ivory in combination with black onyx was used to create brooches; now these products by Georges Foucault are decorated with antique collections, buying antiques this level is a great success for collectors.

The heyday of Art Deco was the time of the first industrial revolution, people were captivated by the speed, rhythm of big cities, and the recently appeared jazz music. Georges Fouquet, explaining the features of the new style, emphasized the importance of speed for modern life. Therefore, for jewelry, wrote one of the founders of the Art Deco style, simplicity of lines and freedom from unnecessary and superficial details are important. Such laconicism is necessary for instant perception of the entire composition of the jewelry.

Among other representatives of jewelry art, in addition to the already mentioned Jacques and Georges Fouquet, it is worth mentioning Paul Brandt, Jean Despres, Raymond Templier, artists from the companies Van Cleef and Arpels, Cartier, and the jewelry houses of Tiffany and Chaumet.

Art Deco - antiques in St. Petersburg and Moscow

One of the features of Art Deco jewelry fashion was the popularity of long pearl necklaces. They were wrapped several times around the neck or they decorated an evening dress, going down the back of its neckline. It was fashionable to combine pearls with corals, black crystal, onyx or turquoise; sometimes stones were mixed together on one thread. Pendants were especially popular. Like all Art Deco products, they were characterized by a strict geometric shape. The twenties were a time of fascination with cars and speed. It is not surprising that the personification of “jazz modernity” was the self-portrait of Tamara de Lempicka, her “Self-portrait in a green Bugatti”, painted in 1925, depicted an independent, elegant lady driving a car. The Fouquet jewelry house definitely sensed this “technocratic” trend. He released a series of jewelry with a unique geometric design: discs made of gold or platinum were covered with engraved stripes, into which aquamarine, citrine or topaz were embedded. These decorations were a little reminiscent of car parts; journalists were ironic about this and wrote that it was desirable for a woman to be a woman and it was not becoming for her to wear nuts and screws as decoration. However, at that distant time, humanity was still intoxicated by the possibilities of technology and inclined to poeticize it.

Despite the relatively small quantity surviving Art Deco items, they began to appear in antique stores Moscow and St. Petersburg. At the antique salons held in the Central House of Artists, large Art Deco collections were presented for the first time: the private collection of S. Morozov and the Ethno gallery. So fans of “jazz modern” may well purchase jewelry, created during this period or stylized after it.

Art Deco is a combination of two styles at once: Art Nouveau and Neoclassicism, but in fact it is a completely independent style of jewelry. Art Deco was first talked about after the First World War, and its dawn occurred between 1920 and 1935. The Art Deco style combined several cultures and historical factors: the Middle East and Ancient Egypt, the Greeks and Romans, and jewelry projects made in this style were recognized at that time as daring and innovative.

Like any new movement in jewelry, Art Deco gave jewelers the opportunity to expand boundaries and create jewelry using new motifs. The main motifs were some abstract patterns, most often geometric. The theme of geometric patterns entered the jewelry world in the mid-20s under the influence of Cubism, and such jewelry became a standout among the exquisite and sophisticated jewelry of that time. In addition to unusual themes, bright, contrasting colors and large semi-precious stones: , and were the main minerals for Art Deco jewelers.

Color itself became a decorative element of the Art Deco style; bright spots became the center of the jewelry. In addition, jewelers have learned to combine seemingly incompatible materials: transparent and opaque crystals, semi-precious, ornamental stones and category I minerals, and there’s no need to even talk about the opportunity to play with precious metals.

Also following the motif, the shape of Art Deco jewelry changed; long necklaces came into fashion, which could be wrapped around the neck several times, or even some brave ladies allowed the necklace to hang from the back. Pendants came into fashion as a separate accessory, and two types of bracelets also appeared: women wore either narrow, but “lacey” products, or wide, massive bracelets. Instead of hats and combs, ribbons studded with precious stones appeared, rings turned into a massive accessory, and several were put on one finger at once.

Women, who in the 20s began to realize their capabilities, position and dictate new conditions to the world, appreciated the Art Deco style. Jewelry gave them the opportunity to express their protest; the buyers of products in this style were bright, athletic, active women who despised the rules and tried to dictate their own standards everywhere. Decisive ladies preferred bright and provocative jewelry to the classic pastel colors of past eras.

Such behavior of post-war women was dictated not so much by the desire of the ladies as by necessity. In difficult years, the lady had to master male professions, learn to drive a car, many women began to smoke public places. But at the same time, the ladies wanted to feel special, sophisticated, beautiful, only beauty changed in accordance with the spirit of the times. Practicality and simplicity come to the fore, replacing the ornateness and pretentiousness of the decorations of past years.

The founder of the Art Deco style is considered to be Georges Fouquet, who was one of the most famous jewelers of that time, living in Paris. In June 1929, he published an article in the magazine “Figaro”, where he talked about the prerequisites for the birth of a new style and the need to change jewelry accents. Around the same years, more precisely in 1925, the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts and Industry was held in Paris, where jewelry of the new Art Deco style appeared in all its glory. The success of the event showed that new style is systematically conquering not only Europe, but also the United States.

The main jewelry brands that work in the Art Deco style are,. The jewelers of these companies were not only the first to create new jewelry, but also developed technical innovations for this style. New forms required new types of cutting of precious stones, as well as new technologies for fastening crystals when the metal itself is not visible.

Nowadays, the Art Deco style is no longer daring and defiant, but more and more people prefer to wear Art Deco jewelry. This style is characterized by harmony, completeness, practicality, and, of course, modern jewelry in this style is sophisticated, elegant and stylish, allowing its owner to express his own taste and independence.

And as always, finally, let’s summarize the main characteristics of the Art Deco style. Idea: Middle East, Egypt, Rome and Greece themes. Material: semi-precious and precious stones, large, bright, unusual cut. Motives: abstract, geometric patterns. Form: oblong, triangles, trapezoids, angles and curved lines.

For many centuries of its existence, decorative products intended to decorate the appearance have gone through various stages of development, changing more than once. There were many reasons for such changes. First of all, this is the symbolic meaning that was invested in each individual product. An important role materials that were in abundance at one or another historical stage of human development were also played. And finally, the final factor in the production of jewelry was fashion, which passed from one country to another, setting the tone and style for many years, and sometimes decades. Naturally, it is impossible to cover all styles of jewelry that have ever existed and exist today. But we will try to give you an idea and distinctive features those that take place in the Sunlight Brilliant collections.

Style "Animalistic"

Today, jewelry depicting birds, animals, fish, and mythical creatures is becoming increasingly popular - the so-called “animalistic” style. No modern fashionista can pass by a blouse with a spectacular leopard print or leggings with imitation snake scales, a cozy sweatshirt with a picture of a cute panda, or an original top with a fish skeleton pattern. However, it is not only the light industry that has brought together these current trends. In the “precious beauty” industry, such motifs have long appeared in all the major jewelry houses that are trendsetters.

In such products, as the name already implies, animal and plant themes predominate - birds, animals, fish, as well as mythical creatures. Today they are especially popular, and in the SL collection they are presented in a wide variety of species - from funny penguins to cute kittens.

Art Deco style

We can find animal motifs in another, no less popular today style - Art Deco. As in the spirit of animalism, large rings with cats, leopards, frogs, butterflies, and flowers are one of the favorite themes of creative designers. However, in this case, representatives of the fauna are just one of the points of the jewelry style, which has absorbed many distinctive features and interesting samples. If you try to characterize it in a few words, then, first of all, it is necessary to name such definitions as simplicity and luxury, geometry and linearity, stylization and sophistication.

We owe the appearance of Art Deco to the 20-30s of the 20th century, when so-called chandelier earrings, multi-tiered necklaces made of pearls or chains, brooches in the form of animals and plants were in fashion.

Modern fashionistas can easily combine such “historical” items with both a cocktail outfit and a regular plain T-shirt. The image will look advantageous in both cases.

This established jewelry style is characterized by a combination of traditionalism and modernity in decoration. Classic pearl necklaces juxtapose with unusual chandelier earrings and large rings with natural motifs. And everyone’s favorite bracelets in the shape of snake scales add the finishing touch to this original collection.

Style "Art Nouveau" ("Modern")

The history of jewelry has brought to the assortment modern jewelry and such an unusual and elegant style as “Art Nouveau”, or in the English version - “Modern”. Appearing at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, it absorbed all the innovative ideas of that era. The distinctive features of the direction can be considered a combination of heterogeneous materials, precious and ornamental, and the predominance of smooth elongated forms, which are expressed in natural and plant motifs.

Today, many designers are trying to convey “Spanish motifs” in their works, because the Art Nouveau style amazes with its truly refined expressiveness and the beauty of natural forms. The interweaving of leaves and branches of trees, blooming flowers and fluttering butterflies - all this is a combination of innovative ideas at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, organically transferred into modern jewelry fashion. The harmony of nature, conveyed through bright enamel or exquisite pearl jewelry. Spanish motifs and elegance of flowing forms are the essence of the Modern style.

Avangard style

Moving on to the style of the second half of the 20th century, it is impossible not to mention such a direction in the jewelry industry as “Avant-garde”. Brightness, eye-catching decor, unexpected combinations of materials and processing methods, unusual and flexible designs, the predominance of graphism - this is how such an unusual and original style seems to us.

When creating products of this type, one thing applies: golden rule: “No rules!” Everything depends solely on the designer’s imagination and his courage in creative decisions. Through jewelry, avant-garde jewelry artists convey their individual vision of the world, sometimes quite extraordinary.

Nothing banal or traditional - the more the designer “surprises” us, the better. Jewelry may contain several bright and seemingly incompatible colors. The design of products can be completely asymmetrical, not smooth - on the contrary, geometric shapes sharp angles are welcome here.

Combination of dissimilar materials ( precious metal And genuine leather), catchy shapes and bright solutions - this is the whole essence of the avant-garde trend in the jewelry industry. The second half of the 20th century was marked by new unusual solutions. Geometric shapes with sharp angles, the combination of dissimilar materials in one decoration, catchiness and brightness of forms - all this is the Avant-Garde style.

Gothic style

The appearance in the Middle Ages of such an architectural movement as “Gothic” could not but cause an echo in applied fine arts, including in jewelry. The jewelry of that time was distinguished by its massiveness, relief and, as a rule, carried a certain symbolic content characteristic of the cultural traditions of the Middle Ages.

Times have changed, but “Gothic” as a phenomenon continues to exist, and today it has a sufficient number of interpretations. An average person unenlightened in jewelry may believe that the concept of Gothic comes down to a youth subculture with characteristic dark clothes, bleached skin and peculiar symbols. However, this is not entirely true.

Nowadays, the jewelry industry offers several equal interpretations of this phenomenon, each of which has a certain unique style. Well, let’s try to figure it out and define some substyles for ourselves.

• "Cold" contrast

Such products are most often made of white gold or platinum, thereby symbolizing death and restraint. Stones of contrasting colors are used as inserts - rubies, sapphires, black diamonds. It’s easy to guess what such a color palette might mean: scarlet - blood, black and dark blue - darkness, darkness.

• Symbolic stylization

Perhaps this stylistic direction can be considered a clear demonstration of what the Gothic style is in the minds of most people. Large skulls, crosses, subcultural paraphernalia - this is exactly how many designers see gothic.

• Renaissance

Despite the fact that modern “Goths” evoke many associations with darkness, rigidity and occult rituals, in the original historical understanding, Gothic jewelry style is a combination of thin lace lines, often complemented by pearl inserts. Like English Gothic cathedrals, characterized by pointed arches and sharp corners, these decorations convey mystery not through rudeness, but on the contrary, through grace.

• Subcultural gothic

This subgroup includes precisely those products that we most often see on “Goths” and “Gothess” - studded jewelry, massive rings, heraldic amulets. This can be considered a "classic" of modern Gothic.

• Vampire style

And finally, the substyle, which is a certain combination of the historical understanding of Gothic and its modern interpretation. On the one hand, this is the classic semantic content of each product (images of spiders, bats, attributes of the afterlife), on the other hand, there is a modern bias towards the “game of contrasts”, as is the case with the first substyle:

So, having examined some trends in the modern Gothic style, we can come to one conclusion - despite the change of generations, the philosophical conflict of earthly and afterlife, “light” and “dark” forces remains relevant. And, as long as a person continues to try to comprehend the meaning of earthly existence, the motives of death will be present in art in all its manifestations. There are several main directions of this style, which, in fact, can be radically different from each other. However, it is necessary to emphasize their inevitable similarity - the use of predominantly white gold and bright precious inserts creating a spectacular contrast. The role of the symbolism of jewelry, which carries special hidden meanings - crosses, skulls, snakes, hearts - is also important here. Graceful mystery and aggressive attitude - yes, yes, it’s all about gothic.

Classic style

No jewelry option can be more advantageous than. This model can be paired with both a formal ladies' suit and a modern youth outfit - the main thing is not to forget about the golden rule of any woman: “Know your limits!” If your image already has enough bright accents, then it is not at all necessary to make yourself look like a Christmas tree - choose the color palette of your wardrobe with taste.

Classic style implies two main subsections. The first is sophisticated delicate jewelry in a rather laconic, but at the same time, elegant style. The insert can be either diamonds, pearls, or sparkling cubic zirconia, which are in no way inferior in radiance to their precious counterparts:

Sergey Dyagelev

seasons" by Sergei Diaghilev, jewelers, like their fellow artists - architects and decorative artists who worked on interior design - finally abandoned the fancifully curving lines and faded coloring of Art Nouveau. In search of new means of expression, they turned to clear geometric forms, with a clear construction of symmetrical compositions, in which beautifully cut precious stones played a dominant role.

The style of the works they created would later be called Art Deco. It combined simplicity and luxury, clarity of geometric designs and a bright play of sparkling stones. This style, which was formed in France by the early 1920s, soon conquered the United States and then most European countries, subordinating almost all types of applied art, including costume, to its artistic principles.

The new fashion fell completely under the power of pure geometry, and women's suit, whose cut resembled a shirt, began to be defined by a strict
constructiveness. New names have appeared among fashion creators. In 1920, the avant-garde artist Sonia Delaunay opened a fashion salon in Paris, decorating her models with bright geometric patterns. In the 1930s, the fashion sky sparkled new star— Coco Chanel, who paid great attention to jewelry accessories, and soon began to design jewelry herself. New times have given rise to a new ideal of women. She became independent and independent, an equal partner with a man. Brave Parisians

Coco Chanel

recognized trendsetters, soon after the war, first of all, they cut their hair, then shortened their skirts and put on sleeveless dresses. An original fashion trend emerged, focused on half-girlish, half-boyish figures - the so-called “garçon” fashion. True, in the 1930s, the dress line softened somewhat, luxury fashion became more feminine, and ideas about beauty were embodied in the images of Hollywood movie stars. But in both of these decades, women's costume opened up wide possibilities for the imagination of jewelers.

Among the most picturesque decorations, undoubtedly belonged to the “tassel brooch” that decorated the open collar of the evening dress; in daytime, more modest, toilets, it was replaced by an unusually long string of artificial pearls or beads made of stones. Came into fashion long earrings, effectively adorned bobbed heads, heavy belts and bracelets, which were often worn not only on the wrist, but also on the forearm. Appeared new look jewelry - a two-piece brooch with a clip lock; It was used to pin fashionable truacarts. Wristwatches gained exceptional popularity during this period; jewelers created them showed amazing imagination. The watches were distinguished by their variety of shapes, richness of decoration and elegance. The body and bracelets were decorated with precious stones.

The pioneers of a new direction in jewelry art were French masters. Among them was one of the most famous jewelers in Paris, Georges Fouquet, who in the Art Nouveau era was called “second after Lalique.” In one of his most accomplished works of the early 1920s years, in a round pendant with symmetrical pendants, all the features of the new style are already visible - the clear geometry of the form and ornamental structure of the decor, the bold mixture of expensive materials: diamonds, emeralds, lapis lazuli and rock crystal.

Even more innovative were the experiments of his son Jean Fouquet: he created a series of jewelry that was completely different from anything that had been done before. Collections in Paris and New York contain his ivory brooch and bracelet, composed of round yellow gold links, which are decorated with pyramids of black onyx and circles of white gold. These unusual jewels were clearly created under the influence of the avant-garde searches of painters of the beginning of the century, and above all the Cubists. No less interesting are the platinum earrings of another Parisian jeweler, Raymond Templier; the ideas of constructivism are clearly felt in their construction. Templier decorated the strict geometric elements of his “precious designs” with bright enamel or Japanese varnish, achieving unusually effective color contrasts. However, these expressive and original works Both jewelers gave more of an impression of “self-sufficient” works of art than of jewelry harmoniously connected with the human body and his costume.
Perhaps, in this approach to the artistic design of jewelry, Jean Fouquet and Raymond Templier were almost a hundred years ahead of their time.

In the 1920s, during the early days of what was sometimes called “jazz modern,” jewelers often used materials such as enamel, chrome, glass and plastic, and favored bright colors. But very soon they realized that the post-war “lost generation” needed the illusion of prosperity, which was provided only by gold, platinum and the most beautiful natural stones. Many people have already learned from their own bitter experience what a life-saving financial source in breast times can become jewelry - besides, they for a long time were deprived of them.

The jewelers of the House of Cartier understood this very well, having always been committed to using the most luxurious stones in jewelry. Even before the First World War, Louis Cartier was perhaps the first among jewelers to sense new trends in art and began to stylize his favorite motifs of various garlands, giving them a geometric character. His works of the 1920-1930s clearly demonstrate the main stages in the development of the new style.

At the first stage, Cartier gave preference to harmonious compositions and simple, clear forms. Initially it was a circle or a segment, since he believed that these were the geometric shapes most suitable for jewelry intended for a woman. Later he turned to other geometric shapes: square, rectangle, and less often rhombus. He decorated jewelry with a simple and clear silhouette, made of onyx, rock crystal, jade, coral or mother-of-pearl, with diamonds and other precious stones, subtly selecting their exquisite colors.

But pretty soon the jewelers of the House of Cartier abandoned bright colors and became the initiators of the emergence of the so-called “white art deco” style. The strict geometric shapes of their jewelry were enlivened by contrasting combinations of white platinum and diamonds with black onyx or black enamel. Based on this expressive optical play of black and white spots, a unique motif was created, called “panther skin”. This motif was used in the creation of original brooches in the form of panthers or hair decorations; it was also used in the design of wristwatch. The “White Art Deco” period, perhaps, turned out to be not only the most fruitful in the company’s activities, but also the most important for the formation of a new style as a whole.

However, Louis Cartier, even in the “white period,” did not abandon color, making brooches from emeralds, rubies and sapphires that reproduced “vases of fruit” or “baskets of flowers.” By the way, the motif of a basket with flowers was very typical for Art Deco style decor. He was approached not only by jewelers, but also by interior decorators and masters of other types of applied art. Thus, the most famous French cabinetmaker of that time, Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, loved to decorate his furniture with fashionable compositions in the form of stylized flower baskets.

Multi-colored jewelry became especially popular after the advent of fashion for Indian jewelry. In addition, the stone market was saturated with rubies, sapphires, emeralds, cut in the shape of leaves, flowers, berries or balls. At the same time, Cartier’s famous jewelry appeared in the “tutti frutti” style he invented; they were bright multicolor compositions of carved precious stones. After the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 and the subsequent surge of interest in Egypt, the company began producing colorful jewelry, made in the "Egyptian style". Among them are spectacular pendants made of jade plates, decorated with diamonds and rubies, and the famous scarab brooch made of smoky quartz with blue faience wings set with diamonds. Jewelers especially often began to create bright decorative items after the crisis of 1929: this is how they tried to attract the attention of buyers and survive during this difficult time.

Thus, the history of the House of Cartier clearly illustrates the process of formation of the Art Deco style. It was finally formed by the early 1920s, and reached its apogee by the middle of the decade. The time of his triumph was the Exhibition of Decorative Arts and Modern Industry, held in 1925 in Paris. Actually, it was at this exhibition that the style received final recognition, and later its abbreviated name - “Art Deco” - became the name of the style.

The jewelers' exposition was housed in the luxurious Grand Palais building. Cartier exhibited in another pavilion of the exhibition (Elegance), teaming up with the famous fashion designers of that time - Bort, Lanvin and others, probably in order to once again emphasize the inextricable connection between jewelry and costume. The works of Fouquet, Sandoz, Templier, Boucheron, Cartier, Van Cleef, Mauboussin and other French jewelers presented at the exhibition were the completion of the searches of the previous period and symbolized the birth of the aesthetics of a new era.

The success of jewelers working in the Art Deco style was phenomenal. Formal recognition of the new style can be considered the fact that the highest award of the exhibition - the Gold Medal - was awarded to the Parisian jeweler Georges Mauboussin for jewelry in the Art Deco style. By that time, his products were already well known to jewelry lovers. The necklaces created by Mauboussin, in which diamonds set in a platinum frame alternated with beautiful pearls and decorated the central part - a jadeite ring - were distinguished by their amazing beauty and elegance and were the object of desire of many social beauties and Hollywood stars. His pendants in the form of stylized flower vases and fountains, decorated with carved emeralds, diamonds and enamel, became objects to be imitated and copied. All these decorations are made in the Art Deco style, and it was this style that made Mauboussin famous.

But the development of style did not stand still. He was born in the age of science and technology and was greatly influenced by its achievements. One of the jewelers who participated in the exhibition wrote that “polished steel, dull nickel, shadow and light, mechanics and geometry - all these are objects of our time. We see them and live with them every day. We are people of our era, and this is the basis of all our present and future creations...” It is not surprising that in order to achieve artistic expression, jewelers made a lot of effort in searching for new materials and developing new technological techniques.

The greatest success was achieved by the company Van Cleef and Arpels. In 1935, Alfred Van Cleef and Julien Arpels managed to invent a new type of setting for precious stones - invisible setting. This method of fastening involves precision cutting of color-matched hard precious stones - diamonds, sapphires or rubies - into which grooves are machined, allowing the stones to be inserted close to each other and thus completely covering the metal with them, hiding the gold base. This technological technique allowed the masters of Van Cleef and Arpels - and subsequently other companies - to create a series of excellent jewelry in the Art Deco style. Perhaps, thanks to precisely such jewelry, as well as the works of Cartier, Boucheron, Mauboussin and other jewelers, the Art Deco style has become internationally recognized as a synonym for luxury and unique showiness.

Already in the 1930s, the Art Deco style began to determine the artistic design of not only unique jewelry made using high-cost stones - in this style, in many countries of Europe and America, less expensive things were created, intended for a fairly wide range of buyers. Diamond clip brooches and sautoirs were in demand on the jewelry market, and especially elegant bracelets, in which medium-sized diamonds emphasized the clear lines of flat ornamental patterns. Similar decorations were made in large quantities Many jewelry companies, it is no coincidence that these days they can be seen in any large antique store or found in an auction catalogue.

It is generally accepted that the Art Deco style dominated the art world for just over two decades, from the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second. However, the figurative structure and techniques developed by the Art Deco masters turned out to be so viable and universal that its influence was felt by jewelers of all subsequent generations. And herein lies the amazing phenomenon of Art Deco.

The Art Deco style of jewelry is a great way to incorporate antique beauty into your modern wardrobe. This style of jewelry is sure to emulate the geometric motifs and glamor of 1920s and 1930s designs. Such jewelry is perfect for modern women.

Understanding what characteristics Art Deco jewelry should have can help you choose a wide range of jewelry from that era. You can find these jewelry both in antique stores and in stores that sell modern reproduction jewelry. Let's take a closer look at what characteristics 20s and 30s style jewelry should have.

Although yellow metals also had their introduction during the Art Deco era, the majority of all jewelry, or the majority of any piece of jewelry, was made from white metals, which had cool tones. So these jewelry should be made of the following types of white metals:

• Platinum;
• White gold;
• Sterling silver;
• Silver plated is not a precious metal;
• Nickel silver or other white non-ferrous metals.

Filigree

Another element of Art Deco jewelry is filigree work. Filigree involves delicate openwork designs. Typically, these lace designs feature flowers, leaves, or swirls, but sometimes they simply have general shapes and lines around a central stone. Such jewelry is often rings or necklaces.

Geometric motifs

Geometric motifs and designs are also a defining feature appearance Art Deco jewelry. Sometimes a variety of geometric shapes are used together in one piece to create a complex piece with interesting lines. Such shapes may have straight lines and angles, although curves are also sometimes part of the design of such jewelry. You can also see the perfect symmetry in many parts of the decoration.

So in jewelry in the Art Deco style, the following geometric motifs (figures) should be present:

• Octagons;
• Rectangles;
• Triangles;
• Rhombus;
• Polygons.

Enamel

Many examples of Art Deco jewelry have enamel elements. Enameling involves fusing molten colored glass with metal and is a great way to add color and contrast to a piece of jewelry. During the Art Deco era, many pieces of jewelry had flecks of black, blue, green, and dark red enamel, but you can find jewelry with enamel in almost any color.

Colored and opaque stones

Although diamonds and imitation diamonds were very popular in the 20s and 30s, many Art Deco jewelry also featured colored or opaque stones. In costume jewelry this can be glass, which has high quality imitation stone. Such stones in decoration can occupy either a central place or be a small addition near the main central stone.

Here is a list of stones that were popular in jewelry of those years:

• Onyx;
• Sapphire;
• Ruby;
• Emerald;
• Moonstone;
• Lapis lazuli;
• Aquamarine.

Because of its classic beauty and superb design of all elements, the Art Deco style in jewelry is timeless. Whether you're a fan of vintage jewelry or simply love the look of period jewelry, you'll find that it will work beautifully in your look.