Art Deco jewelry is the geometric style of the 1920s and 1930s. It replaced the curving lines of Art Nouveau with straight edges, circles, stepped shapes and strong color contrasts. Platinum let jewelers make fine, strong settings, and calibre-cut stones fitted together like tiles. The name comes from the 1925 Paris exhibition of decorative arts, and the style's typical looks range from all-white diamond and platinum jewels to the carved colored gems of Cartier's Tutti Frutti pieces.
Where the name comes from
The Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes opened in Paris in 1925. It displayed modern design in furniture, architecture, fashion and jewelry, and the leading Paris jewelry houses, including Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Boucheron, Mauboussin and Chaumet, showed new work there. The term "Art Deco" came into wide use only in the 1960s, when the style was rediscovered, as a shortening of the exhibition's name.
Sources of the style
Art Deco designers drew on many influences:
- Cubism and other modern art, with its flat planes and fragmented shapes
- Machine-age imagery of engines, skyscrapers and speed
- Ancient Egypt, especially after the opening of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 (see ancient Egyptian jewelry)
- Persian, Indian and Chinese art
- The Ballets Russes, whose costumes used strong, saturated color
The changing role of women also shaped jewelry. Shorter hair, sleeveless dresses and shorter hemlines led to new forms: long sautoir necklaces that swung when dancing, bangles stacked up the arm, long drop earrings that showed against bobbed hair, and clips that could be worn on a dress, hat or bag.
Platinum
Platinum had been used in fine jewelry since the late 19th century, and Edwardian jewelers used it for lacy "garland style" pieces. In the Art Deco period it became the main metal for high jewelry. Platinum is strong, dense and white, so a very thin platinum prong or wire can hold a diamond securely. That let jewelers make settings with almost no visible metal, and its white color suited the cool, all-white look of the time.
Platinum was restricted for civilian use in the United States during World War II, so many late Deco and wartime pieces switched to gold or palladium.
White jewelry
The "white jewelry" look of the 1920s used diamonds set in platinum, sometimes with rock crystal, onyx or pearls. Diamonds were cut in many shapes so that jewelers could build geometric patterns: baguettes, trapezes, triangles, half-moons and small round brilliants. Contrasts of white diamond against black onyx or enamel were especially popular.
The modern round brilliant took shape in this period. In 1919 Marcel Tolkowsky published calculations for brilliant proportions that gave a good balance of brilliance and fire. Many Deco jewels use transitional cuts and old European cuts as well as brilliants. Our page on diamond cutting history traces those changes.
Calibre-cut stones
Calibre cutting means cutting colored stones, usually rubies, sapphires and emeralds, into small shapes to exact measurements so they fit together without gaps in a pattern. Jewelers used them for borders, lines and mosaic effects, often as a frame around diamonds. Because each stone had to fit its place, calibre work took great skill and wasted a lot of rough. The gemstone cut shapes page describes calibre cuts with other step cuts.
Invisible setting, introduced by Van Cleef & Arpels in the 1930s, took the idea further. Grooved stones slide onto a hidden metal grid so that no metal shows on the surface.
Tutti Frutti
Cartier's "Tutti Frutti" jewels are among the most famous of the period. They combine rubies, sapphires and emeralds carved in India in the shapes of leaves, flowers and berries, set with diamonds in platinum. The carved stones came from Indian traditions of gem carving familiar from Mughal jewelry (see jewelry of India). Cartier had strong ties to India, and Jacques Cartier traveled there to buy stones and take commissions from Indian princes. The name Tutti Frutti was applied later, and surviving pieces are sought after by collectors.
Colored materials
Art Deco designers liked strong contrasts, often using inexpensive materials for color:
| Material | Typical use |
|---|---|
| Black onyx | Contrast with diamonds and rock crystal |
| Jade | Carved plaques in Chinese style |
| Coral | Bright orange-red accents |
| Lapis lazuli | Deep blue panels |
| Rock crystal | Frosted or clear, often with diamonds |
| Enamel | Black, red and green geometric fields |
| Turquoise | Egyptian revival pieces |
Onyx, jade, coral and enamel often appear together, especially in Chinese-inspired pieces.
Costume jewelry and Bakelite
Art Deco reached far beyond expensive jewelry. Costume jewelry, encouraged by Coco Chanel, who wore imitation pearls openly, became fashionable rather than embarrassing. Paste and marcasite (actually pyrite) copied the look of diamond jewelry. Bakelite, an early plastic, was made into colorful bangles, brooches and earrings in the 1930s, and early Bakelite pieces are now collected. Our page on glass in jewelry covers paste and rhinestones.
Cocktail rings and the late 1930s
During the Depression of the 1930s, jewelry grew bolder and larger. Bulky cocktail rings with large colored stones became popular. Gold returned, often in yellow or rose tones, and by the late 1930s jewelry was moving toward the curving, three-dimensional "Retro" style of the 1940s.
Collecting Art Deco jewelry
Genuine Art Deco jewelry is widely collected. Buyers check for platinum hallmarks, the hand-finishing and millegrain edges typical of the period, and older diamond cuts. The style has also been heavily reproduced, so a "Deco-style" piece may be modern. A signed piece from a major house carries more value, but signatures can be faked, so documentation and specialist examination help. For the period before, see Art Nouveau jewelry.
Frequently asked questions
When was the Art Deco period in jewelry?
The Art Deco period ran from roughly the early 1920s to the late 1930s. Its name comes from the 1925 Paris exhibition of decorative arts.
Why was platinum used so much in Art Deco jewelry?
Platinum is strong and white, so jewelers could use very thin wires and prongs to hold diamonds securely. That made possible the light, all-white settings typical of the period.
What is a calibre-cut stone?
A calibre-cut stone is a small colored gem cut to an exact shape and size so it fits tightly with others in a pattern. Art Deco jewelers used calibre rubies, sapphires and emeralds in lines and borders.
What is Tutti Frutti jewelry?
Tutti Frutti is the later name for Cartier jewels of the 1920s and 1930s that combine carved Indian rubies, sapphires and emeralds with diamonds in platinum.