Translated from French, "art deco" means "decorative art." The art deco style, or as it is also called - art deco, got its name when in 1925 an exhibition of decorative arts was held in Paris. When and how did this style originate? And in general, what does it represent in jewelry art?
Already at the very beginning of the 20th century, jewelers began to abandon the sinuous lines of Art Nouveau and turn to the search for new means of expression. In late modernity, the geometric lines inherent in Art Deco were already discovered, but everything was interrupted by the First World War, after which people even more eagerly tried to find new ideals, because in addition to destruction and loss of life, there was a disappointment in the values of the past.
After the First World War, a new woman appeared who inspired poets and artists, including jewelry artists. It was at this time that Louis-François Cartier sketched his first pieces of jewelry in a new direction.
Art Deco absorbed simplicity and luxury, pure and bright play of stones, stylistic searches, including cubism, modernity, surrealism, neoclassicism and ethnic features of Ancient Greece, Egypt, Africa, the East.
Jewelers, like all art sculptors, are always sensitive to the mood in society. How to help forget the horrors of war, bring joy to people? It was at that time that the eclecticism of style trends made Art Deco an innovative style.
And so, the designers of jewelry houses proposed new forms, which were geometric, linear design, symmetrical composition, color contrasts. And also a special cut of precious stones, which acquired clearer lines, was more common in triangular, trapezoidal and emerald.
At first, jewelers used inexpensive materials: enamel, chrome, glass, plastic, and preferred bright colors. However, post-war society sought to create an illusion of luxury and prosperity around itself. And first of all, the queens of the Hollywood movie screen could do this. Their bracelets and necklaces sparkled with diamonds from the screens.
In the Art Deco era, platinum became a cult metal, it was Cartier who introduced this noble metal into fashion. And along with it, white gold, silver, steel and even aluminum gained popularity. In addition to metals, jewelers often used exotic materials - ivory, crocodile and shark skin, as well as rare woods. We used pure white mother-of-pearl, white diamonds and black onyx…
The merit of the Art Deco style is its bold combination of precious stones with rhinestones, natural pearls with artificial ones in one piece of jewelry.
The most common decoration technique was metal enameling and unusual cutting. Forms of jewelry in the art deco style - a clear geometry and strict symmetry, the arrangement of elements with a certain rhythm of alternation.
The leading motives in the design of jewelry, in addition to geometry, were the images and scenery of the Russian Ballet by S. Diaghilev, the culture of different countries and eras - Ancient Egypt, China, Japan, India, Ancient Greece, Africa, objects of flora and fauna.
Among the most picturesque decorations are a brush brooch, a long string of artificial pearls, long earrings, including brush earrings that adorned the cut heads of beauties, heavy belts, bracelets worn not only on the wrist, but also on the forearm, a bandage on head (gang) adorned with rhinestones, pearls, and for someone with diamonds, a cocktail ring, a collar necklace, a snake-shaped necklace and bracelet, a panther-shaped ring and bracelet ...
During the Art Deco period, precious lighters and mouthpieces also came into fashion, in which black and white components also alternated.
Wristwatches gained exceptional popularity, when creating which jewelers showed extraordinary imagination. Hours possessed a variety of forms, rich decor, originality and grace. The watch case and bracelets were decorated with precious stones.
One of the most famous jewelers of that time were Georges Fouquet and his son. Parisian jeweler Raymond Templar there are also interesting artistic solutions. A special place in his work is occupied by jewelry with strict geometric elements decorated with bright enamel, with a spectacular color contrast.
The history of the House of Cartier clearly illustrates the formation of the Art Deco style. The jewelry pieces of the 20s and 30s by Louis Cartier demonstrate the main stages in the development of the new style. Initially, Cartier used a circle or a segment more, believing that these geometric shapes were suitable for women's jewelry. Then he began to use a square and a rectangle.
The jeweler decorated his jewelry with diamonds in combination with other stones and enamel. His jewelry pieces played with bright colors and exquisite colors, for example, he added luxurious diamonds to items made of onyx, rock crystal and jade, coral and mother-of-pearl. Gradually, the jewelers of the House of Cartier abandoned the bright colors and began to use white. This is how the style “white art deco” appeared.
Jewelry with strict geometric shapes in a contrasting combination of white and black colors - white platinum and diamonds with black onyx or black enamel were magnificent. It was on the basis of this color contrast that a peculiar motif was created, which received the name “panther skin”.
In the future, the motif was used to create brooches in the form of panthers, as well as to decorate jewelry for hair and for watches. But, nevertheless, it was difficult to completely refuse the bright colors of emerald, rubies, sapphires, even in the “white art deco”. Therefore, Cartier loved to create brooches - "vases of fruit." Multi-coloured tutti frutti jewels have become famous Cartier jewellery.
After the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922, there was a surge of interest in Egyptian jewelry, among Cartier jewelry - spectacular pendants made of jade plates with diamonds and rubies, the famous scarab brooch made of smoky quartz, faience, adorned with diamonds.
The brilliance and multi-coloredness of the jewelry art was even more intensified in 1929 and beyond, because these are the years when purchasing power was lost in all spheres of life, and in order to attract attention and survive in difficult times, the brightest pieces of jewelry were created. Jade, topaz, zircon, coral, aquamarine became popular.
The Art Deco style can be called finally formed by the beginning of the 20s, and in 1925 it received its final recognition, and therefore it was at the exhibition held in Paris in 1925 that the style got its name.
Jewelry exhibited at the exhibition Georges Fouquet, Templier, Gérard Sandoz, Boucheron, Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Mauboussin and many other French master jewelers. The success of the jewelers was amazing. A Parisian Jeweler Receives Gold Medal for Art Deco Jewelry Georges Mauboussin.
The admiration of visitors knew no bounds. Everyone admired the created Mauboussin a necklace in which diamonds alternated with fine pearls in a platinum setting, a jadeite ring, pendants in the form of flower vases and fountains. After the exhibition, Mauboussin became famous.
Not only the works of jewelry art "Cartier" and "Mauboussin" glorified the Art Deco style, thanks to the jewelers "Boucheron","Van Cleef & Arpels» Art Deco style has become an internationally recognized synonym for luxury and admiration. In those years, many things changed in people's lives, new technologies were developed, new materials were searched, research was carried out in science and technology.
It was a century of achievements in all spheres of activity and life of mankind. All this was reflected in the activity of jewelry art. In the company "Van Cleef & Arpels» jewelers have invented a new type of setting for precious stones - an invisible setting. The stones were cut in such a way that it was possible to set them close to each other, thus, the base metal was completely covered by the “stone pavement”. This made it possible to create the most excellent jewelry.
Diamond clip-on brooches, sautoirs, elegant bracelets with clear ornamental patterns of precious stones were in demand in the jewelry markets. Brooches-brushes, beads made of natural stones came into fashion. Particularly popular, thanks to the fashion for short haircuts, were long cascading earrings and large clip-on earrings that covered the earlobe.
Art historians believe that the Art Deco style dominated the art world for only about two decades, from World War I to World War II. But something else is important - many techniques and achievements in jewelry technology developed during Art Deco turned out to be so universal that master jewelers felt the influence of this style for a long time in subsequent generations.
In modern jewelry fashion, the art deco style is once again popular. It is chosen by self-confident women who prefer luxury and at the same time aristocratic restraint.
