Art Deco Jewelry Designs
Art Deco is one of the most easily recognizable visual arts design styles. It flourished from the 1920s to 1940s all over the world, appearing on everything from buildings and cars to appliances and interiors.
In its heyday, Art Deco represented luxury, glamour, exuberance and faith in social and technological progress. This association certainly lent the style to jewelry design. It remains one of the most popular and enduring design periods in the history of jewelry.
Two of the best-known practitioners in this style were Cartier and Tiffany. In fact, many consider this period to be the golden age of design for these two world renowned brands.
While some might say that Art Deco style is staging a comeback, in truth, it never totally left. Jewelers and watch brands in recent years have incorporated this style in their collections.
For example, luxury jewelry designer Martin Katz released a collection using the Art Deco architectural shapes of the New York skyline. This coincided with an Art-Deco themed luxury suite he designed in the New York Palace Hotel.
Another example is Ivanka Trump’s Empire collection which also uses the Art Deco themes of the New York skyline as its motif.
In addition, Ralph Lauren’s 867 ladies watch collection reflects the style of the Art Deco era in its diamond paved shapes. And New York estate jeweler, Fred Leighton, adorned many stars and celebrities during the red carpet season this year.
We can also see Cartier’s legacy in Art Deco jewelry design, as it was on display late last year with the Cartier jewelry collection of Marjorie Merriweather Post at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens. Art Deco pieces were among the stars of the collection, which ranged from the 1920s to the 1960s. One of the pieces it featured was an Indian-style diamond, platinum and enamel necklace and shoulder brooch made in 1928-1929 with 24 baroque-cut Colombian emerald drops, each surmounted by a smaller emerald bead.
Yet another example of the staying power of Art Deco is the the Art Deco jewelry provided by Tiffany & Co. for the 2013 feature film, “The Great Gatsby”. They also released an Art Deco collection to coincide with the movie.
Art Deco is often characterized by rich colors, bold geometric shapes and lavish ornamentation. It is a modern style made of similar parts rather than asymmetry, and straight lines. It represented, even praised the machine age of the time.
In jewelry, platinum was the metal of choice, paired primarily with diamonds in pavé or big, bold, even unusual architectural shapes. However, a variety of colored gems in an array of bright colors that ranged from rubies, sapphires and emeralds to black onyx was also popular. They were used extensively in geometric patterns.
Art Deco remains a foundation of jewelry design and its appeal is timeless. You can see many stunning examples of Art Deco jewelry on Jewelrythis too. Here are just a few of the Art Deco designs you’ll find:
