Definition of Art Deco Jewelry

Art deco is the term used to refer to the highly stylized and sleek designs popular in the mid- to late-1920s and 1930s in Europe and America. The term "art deco" comes from the French Société des artistes décorateurs, a group of artists who exhibited at the Universal Exposition of 1900 with new and elegant designs for home furnishings. Art deco jewelry was enormously popular during the 1920s and 1930s and today is highly collectible.

About Art Deco

Buildings, cars, clothing and jewelry were all created with the art deco aesthetic in mind, characterized by long, sweeping lines, geometric shapes and the incorporation of detailed, intricate ornaments. The Chrysler Building in New York is an example of art deco architecture. Asian, ancient Egyptian, and Mayan and Aztec images and patterns were used in many genres of art deco, including jewelry.

Art Deco Jewelry

Designers of jewelry during the 1920s and 1930s were inspired by the architectural and automotive designs brought about by the movement. Jewelers worked to capture the geometrical patterns and structures of these designs, adding long lines and curves to rings, bracelets, necklaces and earrings. Prominent jewelry designers of art deco works included Gérard Sandoz, Jean Després, Raymond Templier, Louis Cartier and Réne Lalique.

Rings

Art deco rings were designed as showpieces, usually having a plain band---sometimes square in shape, rather than the more traditional round band---topped off with a large construction of metal and stones. White gold and platinum overtook yellow gold in terms of ring metal use, reflecting the industrial designs propelling the movement, in which polished steel was the epitome of simplicity and strength. Danielle Bernato, a dealer of vintage jewelry, writes that square gemstone settings were popular, especially for engagement rings, which often featured a large square center stone surrounded by smaller square stones or triangular stones. The rectangle-shaped baguette cut was introduced for diamonds and emeralds during the art deco period, and was frequently used for rings and matching earrings and pendants.

Earrings and Pendants

Long drop earrings and long pendants are common in art deco, designed to complement short, bobbed hair and strapless or spaghetti-strapped dresses, calling attention to the wearer's profile, neck and shoulders. Long earrings and necklaces that could swing free caught the light during dances and showed off the wearer's style and wealth. Diamonds were common, and were often set alongside onyx or other dark stones for contrast. As with rings, earrings were set in white gold and platinum. For the less wealthy, the the glittery stone marcasite replaced diamonds. Onyx was also a popular and inexpensive stone that could be cut into dazzling, faceted shapes.

Bracelets

With long sleeves part of the past and fashion favoring designs that left the arm bare, bracelets and cuffs became standard parts of women's jewelry collections. Encrusted in gems and often incorporating Mayan, Aztec or other "exotic" cultures' motifs and images, art deco bracelets were most often made of links of platinum decorated by diamonds and emeralds or rubies. The links themselves were often cut-out designs of stylized flowers or geometric shapes in metals or the newly created plastic Bakelite. Cuffs, both hinged and solid, also sparkled with embedded gems and filigreed cut-away areas.