Art Nouveau jewelry, popular from the late 1890s until the mid-1910s, is characterized by soft, curved shapes and lines, and usually featured natural designs, such as flowers, birds, and animals. The female body was a popular theme and was featured on a variety of jewelry pieces, especially cameos.
Glass and stones such as agate, garnet, and opal were often used in Art Nouveau jewelry, and jewelry made of enamel became common. Long necklaces made of pearls were also desirable.
Louis Comfort Tiffany and Rene Jules Lalique created beautiful pieces of Art Noveau jewelry. Towards the end of the period, however, Art Nouveau jewelry pieces were often cheaply...
The Art Nouveau movement gave way to Art Deco, which grew in popularity between the mid-1920s and '30s. Art Deco originated in France, but soon spread throughout Europe and the United States. Unlike the softness of Art Nouveau pieces, Art Deco jewelry is characterized by geometric lines, sharp angles, and bright colors.
With the end of World War I and the evolution of women’s role in society, jewelry became highly desirable during the Art Deco period. Although fairly rare in Art Nouveau jewelry, diamonds became popular again in the Art Deco period. Watches made with diamond bracelets, called cocktail watches, were introduced in the 1920s, and strings of pearls continued to be in vogue, worn either as a necklace or a bracelet.
Many Art Deco pieces were made of bakelite, celluloid, or enamel. Amber stones and beads were also popular.
Interviews & Articles
The Social Agenda of Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau was a huge movement. It wasn’t only about architecture; it touched every artistic discipline. It dealt with architectu… [more]
Christie Romero on Differences Between Fine and Costume Jewelry Over the Decades

I started out with general antiques and collectibles... I was a dealer for a while and bought and sold all kinds of things. Gradua… [more]
Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)
Modernism

An overview by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts of the design movements between 1880 and 1940 that comprised Moder… [read review or visit site]
Art Deco 1910-1939

This Victoria and Albert Museum has a terrific collection of Art Deco objects. On the VAM's website, you can learn … [read review or visit site]
All About Jewels Dictionary

This incredible reference dictionary on jewelry, from Enchantedlearning.com, is both beautiful and comprehensive. S… [read review or visit site]
Morning Glory Antiques and Jewelry

Jewelry collectors, feast your eyes on this internet gem! It's a goldmine of jewelry information featuring all styl… [read review or visit site]
Decopix

Randy Juster's survey of Art Deco imagery and reference on all things Deco. Includes pages on murals, houses, gov… [read review or visit site]
Cathy Gordon's Jewelry Gallery

With its vast galleries featuring clear images of jewelry and style, this site really covers it all! Divided up by … [read review or visit site]
Jewel History

Since March of 2007, readers of Lori Ettlinger Gross’s JewelHistory blog have been treated to her weekly (sometim… [read review or visit site]
Clubs & Associations: Fine Jewelry
- American Society of Jewelry Historians
- Association for the Study of Jewelry and Related Arts
- Society of Jewellery Historians
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