Retro Modern

From about 1935 to 1945, retro modern (now usually called retro) jewelry was in style. Colored stones and gold came into fashion as the earlier white look of diamonds and platinum faded. Streamlined shapes and three-dimensional designs were popular. Realistic flowers, animals, and birds were part of some designs. Pink gold, green gold, and gold-colored […]

Edwardian

Edwardian-style jewelry also was popular from about 1890 to 1920. Delicate pendants and bar pins of platinum filigree set with diamonds and pearls were the rage. Colored stones—amethysts, sapphires, green garnets, rubies, and turquoise—were used along with diamonds cut into new shapes, including emerald, marquise, and baguette cuts. Necklaces, large brooches, tiaras, and earrings were […]

Arts and Crafts

Arts and Crafts designs were popular from about 1890 to 1920. The jewelry, like the metalwork and some furniture, was made by artists who believed in the importance of handmade work of a single craftsman. The pieces had hammer marks and even rough edges or uneven lines to show they were handmade. Designs were simple, […]

Art Nouveau

Art nouveau jewelry, made from the late nineteenth century until the start of World War I in 1914, had curving, asymmetric lines, sensuous women with flowing hair, dragonflies, snakes, butterflies, vines, irises, poppies, and other flowers. Designers incorporated both French and Japanese design ideas in their pieces. Opals, moonstones, pearls, peridots, and other colored stones […]

Art Deco

During the war years 1914 to 1918, very little jewelry was made, but after World War I, women were eager to buy something new. The fashionable flapper dresses went well with bracelets, brooches, necklaces, and rings in the new art deco style. For the first time, costume jewelry was considered fashionable, and designers like Chanel […]