Literature Review

Revisiting the Past: Jewellery Development throughout the 20^th 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].

---

[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.