Vintage Jewelry Unleashed ~ Vol.15 ~ May 2007

Table of Contents:
New Items | Jewelry Tips | Trends

New Items at Vintage Jewelry Online.com

This month's vibrant collection contains 10 items of some special jewelry that runs from dramatic, to what I call sophisticated elegance. There is a bit of everything, from signed, to unsigned to a lovely 18k gold enamel and diamond pin/pendant to a fabulous 1 1/2" wide bakelite dot bracelet. The Jewelry Tips section continues exploring the commonly defined jewelry eras with Part 5B 1920-1935 with Art Deco and an emphasis on fine jewelry.

To see the newest jewelry, added within the past 30 days, click here.

The new-featured highlights are found on the home page and include:

• a Stunning Red Cabochon & White RS Deco Fabulous Fake Bracelet #AO-00172
• a Tremendous Very Wide Butterscotch & Red Dot Bakelite Bracelet #CB-00412
• a Dramatic Neiman Marcus Black Enamel & Swarovski Bracelet #CS-00188
• an Elegant 14K Civil War Era Bracelet with Enamel & Diamond #VE-00318

Jewelry Tips

Jewelry Eras and the History Behind Them Part 5B

The past few months I provided an overview of the most commonly referenced jewelry eras beginning with the Georgian period. This month we'll follow the timeline and cover the years, 1920-1935 Part 5B. This month I will cover Art Deco with an emphasis on fine jewelry.

The majority of the reference information comes from Warman's Jewelry, 3rd Edition by Christie Romero and the 6th Edition Answers to Questions About Old Jewelry by Jeanenne Bell both of which I highly recommend. (See Vintage Jewelry Unleashed Vol.3 - March 2006)

Commonly Defined Reference Periods

1760 - 1830 Georgian
1840 - 1860 Early Victorian
1861 - 1879 Mid Victorian
1880 - 1902 Late Victorian
1890 - 1920 Edwardian & Art Nouveau
1920 - 1935 Art Deco
1940 - 1965 Post War & Retro Modern

1920 - 1935 Arts & Crafts Arts Deco -- An Overview - Fine Jewelry

Historical Perspective: 1920-1935
Because we covered the historical perspective of Art Deco while reviewing costume jewelry in February, this edition will focus on the jewelry, motifs and materials.

The Jewelry: 1920 - 1935 Fashion & Styles
The 1920's woman went through a dramatic change coming from the war into the 1920's. Hair was worn short, waistlines dropped, sleeves were cut and her chest was bound. Her post-war prosperity was indulged with jewelry and lots of it, worn at one time. The dress style dictated a different style of jewelry. Remember the chemise?

Multiple bracelets were worn up and down the arm and often both arms were filled with glorious bangles. Smaller clips or jeweled ornamentation was worn on the hip and even the shoulder. And of course there were many styles of the diamond and platinum bracelet known as plaque, flexible link, straight-line, strap or band. Often times these bracelets had precious gems, like sapphires, rubies or emeralds along with diamonds. They were also made with synthetic jewels as well. If you could afford them, the metal was platinum. 18k white gold was also extremely popular. We also saw these same bracelets made for the masses, with a fabulous fake version made with white metal, or rhodium and crystals.

Short hair allowed women to show off long dangling shoulder duster earrings. Screwback findings were used during this time period as piercing one's ears went out of vogue. Large hats were replaced with cloche hats that often times held small hat ornaments like clips.

The sautoir was still popular but became more modern and more geometric. They were often made of diamonds with a diamond pendant instead of the tassels. Some were "convertible" and could be made into a bracelet, chocker and a pendant. Tasseled ropes made of gemstones were also popular. Short elegant necklaces were worn, often times with a sautoir to create a balanced looked.

There were some "new jewelry" items that became extremely popular. Cartier introduced the "ring or circle brooch" as well as the jabot pin. Both of these pins could be worn on hats as well as the shoulder, chest or even decorate a purse.

Elongated filigree rings maintained their popularity but became more geometric in style. Two new rings shapes were introduced. These were hexagonal and octagonal and had colored precious stones mixed with diamonds set in domed or stepped mountings.

One of the most renowned jewelry accessories introduced during the 1930's was the dress clip. These were worn in pairs around the neckline. They could also be worn wherever the imagination chose to go... lapels, hats, purses, belts, and even shoes. The two clips could be joined together by a pinback mechanism and worn as a single brooch. Remember the Duette by Coro and the Clipmates by Trifari? These were fashioned after their platinum clip counter parts.

The Jewelry: 1920 - 1935 Motifs
We know Art Deco wasn't termed as such until 1968. (See Jewelry Tips Section 5A February. ) During the actual time between 1920's and 1930's and even into the 1940's, the terms used to describe this jewelry was "modernistic" or "moderne". This is why there is controversy about what Art Deco truly is. And this is why you see some pieces called Art Deco that vary from heavily pierced filigree platinum, gold and diamonds to the more moderne, sleek, geometric pendants and bracelets.

Generally speaking, the jewelry had either geometric lines or abstract designs. Also, diamond cutting increased in sophistication and enabled designers to create new art forms for jewelry. These included the half-moon, a "bullet" (a narrow pentagon), the epaulet, (a wide pentagon), the trapeze, and the triangle.

We also saw motifs showing speed, lots of dramatic and brilliant tone colors such as rubies, sapphires, and emeralds, often displayed in the same piece. (See fruit salad designs from Jewelry Tips Section 5A February) Stylized floral designs were also abundant.

In summary Art Deco was influenced by many design sources including, Oriental, Persian, East Indian, ancient Egyptian, African, American Indian and turn-of-the-century Austrian and German designs.

The Jewelry: 1920 - 1935 Materials & Stones
The emphasis of fine jewelry was the intrinsic value of the materials followed by design. And both were fabulous. We saw an abundance of platinum, white gold, diamonds, sapphire, emeralds, and rubies. Onyx, rock crystal, marcasites, cornelian and chrysoprase were also heavily used.

Cartier is probably the most famous for its version of Art Deco designs, which depicted figurative and exotic Eastern-influenced styles. The most noteworthy are the carved gemstones in jabot pins, the fruit salad jewelry, flower vase brooches, and double clip brooches.

Van Cleef and Arpels also contributed significantly to this era of jewelry. They were known for their Egyptian Revival designs that were done in calibre'-cut colored gemstones and pave' diamonds on strap bracelets. They were also known for their convertable platinum and diamond sautoirs that could be "converted" to bracelets and a pendant.

Other well-known companies include Boucheron, Mauboussin, Chaumet and Lacloche. These were all French companies. Well-known US companies include the likes of William Scheer, Inc, Oscar Heyman & Bros., Tiffany & Co, Marcus & Co, and C.D. Peacock.

Jewelry and Fashion Trends

Jewelry takes another leap into big & bold...
According to some of the recent headlines on the internet, INSTYLE, VOGUE and in USA today, jewelry is going bold again. Delicate is out and bold, dramatic and chunky is in. Make your fashion statement this spring and leap into the forefront of your group.

Take your pick of some of our favorites and don't forget the just listed Swarovski Enamel Neiman & Marcus bracelet, item #CS000188 and of course any wide bakelite colorful bangle bracelets... we have lots. Jut type in bakelite bracelet in the search box.

• Outstanding Emerald Green Fabulous Fake Bracelet #AO-00005
• Bakelite Butterscotch & Red Dot Bracelet #AS-000412
• Spectacular Mazer Purple Retro Massive Pin #CS-00040
• Incredible COQ-D'OR Massive Floral Bouquet Watch Pin #CS-00045
• High End Sterling Maryo Blue Cabochon Earrings #CS-00203
• Rare Wire Work Turquoise Crystal Hobe' Pin #CS-00217
• Gorgeous Victorian Gold Filled Etruscan Bracelet #VE-00047
• Over the Top Purple Cabochon Bracelet #VE-00067
• Victorian 3 Dimensional Coral Pin & Dangling Pendant #VE-00347

Best wishes,
Shelley