Art Deco

Art Deco is a title that you see all over the place. But what IS Art Deco? What does it look like? Where did the style come from? And when did it start? – All these questions will be answered in this article. Hi! I am Lisa, founder of the jewellery brand Set Together Jewellery Design. I have been in the trade for over decade, I live and breathe all things jewellery - from history, modern trends, gemstones and design. In this blog I will share with you some insights into the Art Deco style and era.

Art Deco is the name given to a style of art and design that gained popularity in the 1910’s through to the early 1930’s. The term Art Deco wasn’t coined until the 1950’s, it is a name derived from a famous exhibition called Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs Industriels et Modernes, held in Paris in 1925. The Art Deco style is seen in almost everything, from architecture, furniture design to sign writing, jewellery and so on.

Art Deco embodies geometric shapes, bold colours, repeating patterns, symmetry and cubism basically everything that seemed modern at the time. It has a firm streamline look.

See art deco examples below

Moving towards the modern era

The Art Deco movement was an expression of the modern era, and represents the beginning of the modern woman who dared to step out from the conformities of the previous years. Women in World War One took place in the workforce which helped push towards a more independent lifestyle. They were gaining more power and rights than ever before, plunging necklines, smoking in public and finally the right to vote! This helped liberate women of the roaring twenties.

The rise of Art Deco came from a push to move away from the previous styles of Art Nouveau (1890’s- 1900). The Art Nouveau era used complex natural swirls, pastel enamelling and asymmetry- almost a complete opposite look.

See art nouveau examples below

Ancient Egypt Influence

The discovery of Tutankhamans Tomb in 1922 by Howard Carter was a major factor in the influence of the Art Deco movement, the world entered into an Egyptian craze! Egyptian designs are filled with geometric and simple patterns made with intricate detailing, along with bright and bold colours. Much of this look is seen throughout art deco jewellery. Even the backing or the underside of jewellery made throughout the 1920s and 1930s have beautiful pierced line work, finished to a high polish. Fine jewellery houses like Van Cleefs and Cartier were making all things Egyptian in the 1920’s from small charms depicting hierographics, clutches that were made in the same shape as a sarcophegus and Egyptian Scarabs are also depicted in broaches and bracelets. These are just a few examples of the Egyptian influence.

See images below

Art Deco in jewellery

High end Art Deco jewellery is glamorous and sophisticated. These jewellery items were predominantly made out of platinum, fine high quality, coloured gems with few inclusions such as ruby, sapphire and emerald. The jewellers also used bold coloured semiprecious gems like Onyx, Turqouise, coral and Lapis Lazuli. Coloured stones were often front and centre of a piece, complimented by smaller diamonds set into a larger geometric shape. The designs often have cut out areas of ‘negative space’ which adds to the intricacy of the piece and the overall Art Deco look.

See jewellery below

The use of Platinum was a significant milestone in the development of a newer jewellery style. Platinum was used in jewellery in the late 1890’s and was popularised by Cartier in the early 1900’s. Jewellery could be made with less metal as it is stronger than gold and far stronger than silver which was the white metal of choice beforehand. Hence, a finer look came about, thin bezels surrounding stones and fine wire work could be achieved. Platinum has a high luster, giving off that bright white finish and is also resistant to tarnishing, unlike silver. Platinum is highly malleable, which means it can be bent into any shape to form intricate patterns.

New techniques to cut diamonds were being developed in the late 1890’s, this paved the way for modern cuts like the baguette (rectangular) marquis, shield and so much more. These newly discovered diamond cuts enhanced the overall geometric and bold look of the Art Deco style.

Even today decorative art that was made throughout the Art Deco era still has an unmistakable beauty and modern elegance that new designers in all fields take inspiration from. From architects to furniture designers and jewellers. This is the true meaning of a timeless style.

Art Deco is one of my favorite styles in jewellery design, I love bold straight lines! You’ll see a lot of Art Deco characteristics in my designs. Here are a few examples below

See Set Together Jewellery below

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Written by Lisa Clune