Revisiting
the Past:
Jewellery Development throughout the 20th Century with Emphasis on
the Works of Cartier, Lalique, Tiffany & Co., and Van Cleef & Arpels.
How has the overall look of jewellery at any one time
changed and developed throughout the decades? How have particular designers,
past and present, affected the work of other designers? How have the continuous
technological advancements changed the way jewellers work and what they are
capable of achieving? What are some other issues that may affect the design of
a jewel?
As with every other product on the market the design
of a jewel changes with the fashion of the decade. In their book, David Bennett
and Daniella Mascetti (2003) review the ways in which this design has changed
throughout each decade, highlighting particular events such as world wars,
depressions and recessions as well as changing fashions which would have had an
impact on the overall look. For example, while the sautoir[1] necklace became popular in
the 1920s, so much so that it remains to this day an icon of the so-called ‘roaring
twenties’, necklaces in the 1930s became shorter and more rounded, with the
central motifs now being spread along the front of the necklace instead of one
pendant focusing all of the weight at the centre of the front, the motifs
mostly used in this decade were those representing ribbons, bows, straps and
buckles. Van Cleef & Arpels became known for their hexagonal link bracelets
which were widely copied at the time as well as the ‘invisible’ setting which
is still a staple technique among gem setters to this very day.
This can be clearly seen among the designers mentioned
in Rochefoucauld’s book (2013) where the invisible setting is used by each
jeweller covered in her book at least a handful of times among other settings.
The effect this setting has is further increased by the use of CAD programs
which allow the designers to calculate precisely the size of each stone before
moving on to the production phase rather than having to calculate by trial and
error as would have needed to be done in the past.
In her online article, Suzanne Wade (2004) agrees
wholeheartedly going further to exemplify the ease with which jewellers can now
solder or weld their pieces with the use of laser welding. With this technique,
which is not all that different from traditional welding, jewellers can
actually weld after having set a gem in place. Previously this would not have
been possible because soldering with a torch would damage the gem.
Additionally, pieces have become more detailed thanks to the use of CAM
capabilities such as laser cutting. (Wade, 2004)
Although the majority of designers tend to create
pieces in the prevalent styles there are always those that will produce a style
that is all their own, as was JAR in the 1980s. His pieces are reminiscent of
Lalique’s work, however JAR’s works contain more gemstones while Lalique’s
mostly centres on enamelling techniques, especially plique-a-jour which is
almost completely lost nowadays, except for the designs by Luz Camino. In contrast
to Lalique’s original creations, Camino’s pieces are not as abstract in theme
but are inspired by the faraway world of space and the underwater realm. (Rochefoucauld, 2013)
Jewellery has also had to face cultural challenges throughout
the years. The Great Depression and the economic recession which hit in the
1970s were just two of these challenges. Interestingly enough, sales during
these periods hardly faltered as people’s trust in the value of paper money
decreased and they instead invested in the precious gems which were set within the
jewels which gave an added sense of portability to the value as well (Bennett & Mascetti, 2003) . This fact maintained
itself even during the recent recession in 2008 where jewellery once again was
being bought by the same people who were putting off buying property or cars (Childers, 2011) .
The onslaught of war brought with it the creation of
new materials, and since the traditional materials were being rationed
jewellers automatically turned to whatever it was that they could find. As such
the new style contained smaller amounts of gems and more metal was seen within
the design. There were other instances where gems were set aside, designers
instead preferring to create the aesthetic of the piece out of the metal
itself, which in this time was usually gold with a more reddish tinge, due to
the increased percentage of copper mixed with the gold itself resulting from
the lack of the noble metal at this time (Bennett & Mascetti, 2003) . Additionally
platinum and soon after aluminium were being used.
The use of non-traditional materials within jewellery
has been a constant in the jewellery design world consistently in recent
history. Patrice Fabre uses concreate in his designs to create a new dimension
as well as rough, unpolished diamonds which make his jewellery also attractive
to men (Rochefoucauld, 2013) .
This development in design is not only thanks to the tireless
workings of the designers, or the advancement in technology but also the use of
the internet. Rochefoucauld (2013) writes that in addition to the designers’
websites allowing potential customers a window into their collections, blogs
and jewellery magazine websites are producing informative material for the public
in general to learn about the different styles, gems, techniques and other information
related to jewellery and this, in turn created a new class of collector and
dilettante.
References
Bennett, D. & Mascetti,
D., 2003. Understanding Jewellery. 3rd ed. Suffolk: Antique
Collectors' Club Ltd..
Childers, C., 2011. Jewelry International: Volume
III. Annual ed. New York: Tourbillon International.
Rochefoucauld, J. W.-D. L., 2013. 21st Century
Jewellery Designers: An Inspired Style. Suffolk: Antique Collectors' Club
Ltd..
Wade, S., 2004. Creative Freedom - Technology has
opened doors for jewelry designers.. [Online]
Available at: http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/creative-freedom.htm
[Accessed 27 April 2015].
Available at: http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/creative-freedom.htm
[Accessed 27 April 2015].
[1] A very
long chain or beaded necklace often terminating in a tassel, or pendant which
adds weight providing the pendulum effect it was most known for during the 1920s.
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