Art Deco jewelry : Disappearance, resurgence and inspired brands

Art Deco ended with the World War II (1939-1945) ; it was no longer popular. Art Deco was supplanted by the modernist movement, by the influence of Bauhaus then by the international style during the “trente glorieuses”.

But in the 1960s, there was a resurgence for Art Deco in jewelry (Pierre Bex…), design (Pierre Paulin, Jo Colombo…) and fashion (Paco Rabanne, Biba, Pierre Cardin…). The period of art deco was seen like a golden age (“les années folles », Old Hollywood movies…). We can see similitudes between the Sixties designers and the Art Deco designers : bold colors and shapes, new materials, plastic, geometrical designs, designs for a new word (space age)… Sixties jewelry had similarities with Art Deco : geometrical shapes and patterns, repetitive patterns, bold colors, use of plastic, bangles, new materials and enamel. Nevertheless, Art Deco jewels were more refined, sophisticated and inspired namely by Far East (China and Japan) and Egypt. Besides, Art Deco jewels were made with more noble materials (platinum, gemstones, ebony…).

From 1969 until 1980s, Pierre Bex made Art Deco inspired jewels. We can still buy it on the website pierre-bex.com.

Pierre Bex

The movie industry get inspired by Art Deco : Bonny and Clyde (1967) and Gatsby (1974).

The Art Deco illustrator Erté collaborated with the Circle of Fine Arts to create jewels in the 1970s. The collaboration lasted 10 years.

Erté

In 2011, Ralph Lauren created an Art Deco inspired collection.

In 2012, Ralph Lauren created an art deco inspired cuff.

Art Deco jewels are very praised and costly nowadays because it is rare, synonym of glamour, requiers an exquisite craftmanship and are composed of noble and expensive materials (platinum, diamonds, rubis, emeralds, sapphires…). Frank Everett (Sotheby) says “Art Deco jewels remain one of the strongest and most collectible sectors of the jewelry market”.

The jewelry house Boucheron has an Art Deco collection (from the 1920s and 1930s records of the brand).

Boucheron (Art Deco collection)

The contemporary jewelry brands Ilgiz Fazulzyanov, Janis Kerman, Hanut Singh, Anna Rivka, Eliza Bautista, Nikos Koulis, Fairfax & Roberts, V by Laura Vann, Bijoux cocktails, Doryn Wallach, Valérie Danenberg, Pierre Bex, Camille De Soos, Valkyrie Paris, Marine de Diesbach, Corrado Giuspino, Bijoux Passion Paris, Ben-Amun, Boheme bijou, Les bijoux de Jeanne and Edward Chiu, JoAq, JJ jewels Milano, Middlechild are inspired by Art Deco.

Sources : theculturetrip, pamono, townandcountrymag.com, pierre-bex.com/fr/, hauteliving, artdecostyle, boucheron.com, madaboutthehouse, Wikipedia, Lostjewels and Pinterest

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