The beginning of the Art Deco jewelry era is dated around 1900 and was inspired by the French "Art Decorative" movement. The peak was seen in 1920 and the decline in about 1930. In general, the Art Deco movement was a combination of different styles and techniques of the past characterized by flowing curves and naturalistic motifs, mainly present in Art Nouveau and Edwardian.
The new stone-cutting and metal casting technologies made it possible to produce more dramatic jewelry designs with interconnecting symmetrical geometric lines and extraordinary color combinations of colored stones and enamels.
The symmetrical style of the jewelry was perfectly blended with new types of cuts - emerald, marquise and pear shaped diamonds and colored gemstones. The dramatic contrast of colors like black and white in combination with precious and semi-precious stones found extensive use.
Art Deco Jewelry production virtually ended during the Depression and the beginning of WW II. Some unsuccessful attempts to revive the movement had occurred after the end of the war. Today, Art Deco Jewelry is still produced but in fairly small quantities and as special orders.
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