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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 imitated.
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.
I started out with general antiques and collectibles... I was a dealer for a while and bought and sold all ki… [more]
Art Nouveau was a huge movement. It wasn’t only about architecture; it touched every artistic discipline. I… [more]
My background is in fine art. My B.A. was in Art Education, so I started out as an art teacher. Later, I bega… [more]
How did I get started collecting Arts and Crafts silver? My wife and I had been collecting Arts and Crafts it… [more]
This incredible reference dictionary on jewelry, from Enchantedlearning.com, is both beautiful and comprehensive. S… [read review or visit site]
This Victoria and Albert Museum microsite is a great reference on the Art Deco period. Take the Virtual Tour to lea… [read review or visit site]
An overview by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts of the design movements between 1880 and 1940 that comprised Moder… [read review or visit site]
Although not actually a university, this website has a lot of great educational information about antique, vintage,… [read review or visit site]
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]
Jewelry collectors, feast your eyes on this internet gem! It's a goldmine of jewelry information featuring all styl… [read review or visit site]
Paul Somerson's incredible reference on handwrought metalwork from the American Arts and Crafts movement of the ear… [read review or visit site]
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]
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