1930s pearl and marcasite earrings
I absolutely love Art Deco jewellery so I wanted to dedicate today’s post to exploring this fabulous style, which started around the 1920s and kept influencing so many aspects of art for many years to come. The earrings above inspired me to write this post, as they are from the 30s and carry the strong geometric forms that were so typical of the period; circles and squares were often explored by designers during this era.
I meet a lot of interesting people when I scout around for antique and vintage pieces, and they often have the most fascinating stories to tell! A lady in Cape Town told me that when she was young in the 50s everyone wanted to get their hands on Art Nouveau jewellery, whereas Art Deco was considered nothing special. As a result you were able to buy the pieces really cheaply – as opposed to today when Art Deco pieces are so sought after, and priced accordingly. I do wish I could travel 60 years back in time and get a good collection of these treasures! For now I will just have to do with the earrings above and this lovely ring which I have introduced to you previously, and another pair of earrings at the end of the post:
Silver ring with a green agate and marcasites
The name Art Deco came from the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs Industriels et Modernes, an international exhibition of decorative arts held in Paris. The style embraced elegant lines and clean shapes, which can be compared to the style preceding it – Art Nouveau – which presented lots of intricate detail, often expressing the beauty of nature.
It makes sense that Art Deco design was more practical and simple though, since women no longer sat at home, draped in jewellery, helplessly fluttering their eyelashes. World War I made sure that they assumed responsibilities outside the home, and as a result they were suddenly involved in a wide variety of activities – everything from sports to politics. As a result fashion took a similar turn and the uncluttered style took precedence.
Typical features of Art Deco were bold stones, such as onyx, turquoise and coral, cut into geometric shapes. Diamonds were often cut into baguette shapes – something that you will for example see in lots of 1920 engagement rings. If you do a search for Art Deco Jewellery you will see a very clear style, which you will most likely then be able to identify if you attend an antique fair.
I hope you enjoyed this humble bit of art history – below is another pair of earrings so clearly in the Art Deco-style:
Decades of Elegance 