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31.10.12

Jewelry History in 19th Century - Art Nouveau

The 19th century Industrial Revolution helped create a jewelry platform available to everyone. The middle class people could purchase fine pieces of jewelry. Since imitation stones began flooding the market, working classes could afford to buy a piece of jewelry. 

Besides, the growing population and the publication from media enhanced a rapid growth of demand of luxury goods. People became very much aware how they dressed and behaved, in order to differentiate their identity from the others in the widening social basis. Portraits from 1840's onward reflect that many women preferred fussiness, jewelry with mitten and shawls were discordantly pooled together.

Art Nouveau objects carved with a female face surrounded by long and flowing hair, particularly in jewelry, were popular. 'Art Nouveau” is French which means “new art”. It is the most popular international philosophy and style of art during 1890-1905, representing the spirit of sexual freedom mostly adopted by the most avant-garde group. The innovative style gave a kick start to America's burgeoning costume jewelry industry, which was characterized by organic images, such as floral and plant motifs, as well as very stylized flowing curves and twisting shapes. The free-flowing naturalistic curves gave women an impression of sleek and sophisticated softness that chimed with their aspirations for emancipation. Later on, due to the mass production techniques invented, inexpensive trinkets and ornaments, jewels, stamped from beautifully designed sheets of silver or gilt metal, became more affordable to even lowest-paid group. The finest pieces incorporated this kind of artistic motifs of natural forms and androgynous face or head into gilt metal. 

Precursory idea of using horn, which was specially carved with coating technique in jewelry, by Lucien Gailland, was widely copied by two French designers, Elisabeth Bonte and Georges Pierre, on mid-priced plastic-made horn pendants and brooches. The goods could be plain or in the shape of butterfly or insect, which are still collectible today.

People preferred the ornate parures, matching sets of jewelry, and aigrettes for the hair in formal occasions by the Victorian era. Chaumet and Boucheron which are still familiar to us today, are the founding fathers of jewelry dynasties, who gained their reputation in producing parures. A tiara with ostrich plumes and jeweled comb were used to keep tall coiffures in place. Bracelets were designed boldly, often with portrait miniatures at centres. The proliferated evening gowns provided the perfect backdrop for elaborate necklaces. 

Even though more mechanized and industrialized techniques were developed, artisans remained true to their craft. The technical expertise in jewelry production did not waver. Technicians and goldsmiths drew upon all the stylistic traditions that had walked across the historical stage. A particular group of jewelry designer produced one-off pieces with superb workmanship in this period of time. Julias Meier Grace, Paul Follot and Maurice Dufrene, are the pioneers of Art Nouveau & jewelry made by them is now out of reach of all. They were too expensive to be thought of as costume jewelry, but the very wealthy collectors mostly have the valuable pieces in their private collections or on display in public museums.

Meanwhile, due to the growing reputation of the actress Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923), her image for setting free of sexuality rather than hiding off under tight corsets successfully attracted leading jewelers produced theatrical accessories made of metal and paste with enamel.
Commercial enterprises were formed to openly market the sale of jewelry. The firms of Faberge, Cartier, Tiffany and other great jewelry companies have their beginnings and roots in the Industrial Revolution. The Art Nouveau and abstract ideas such as Cubism with great artists like Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso contributing to the trade. 

Louis Comfort Tiffany (the founder's son of Tiffany & Co.) has great impact on jewel history. Young designers imitates Tiffany's idea, by combining precious and non-precious materials in Art Nouveau designs. Firms later produced and sold cheaper imitations of the top handcrafted jewels. Another American firm, Gorham Corporation, was producing large quantities of hollow-backed jewels stamped with imitation 'repousse' work, most of it based on French Art Nouveau designs.

With the Celtic revival launched by Liberty in Britain, great numbers of silver jewels like pendants, brooches and hat pins were made on simplified Liberty designs, and mostly given a touch of peacock blue enamel, which is a characteristic Art Nouveau shade. Most shimmered with swirling Art Nouveau forms, although a number sported the winged scarab.

Rene Lalique (1860-1945), a leading French designer and maker of jewelry and glassware created bracelets, necklaces, pendants, combs and pectorals combined with the use of gold with gemstones and enamel depicted with nude or draped human female figure, and fantasized with butterfly or dragonfly wings, which emphasized the theme of nature by means of peacocks, snakes, insects, blossoming branches and orchids. 

Large hats, fashionable at the end of the 19th century, were secured by long steel pins with decorative gold, silver, or gilded metal, often set with quartz or paste by English. One of the famous mechanized factory, specialized in production of thimbles and hat pins marked 'CH' (1890- 1910).

Tips for matching jewelry to face shape



Rectangular Face
Earrings: Small earrings are very suitable for people with long faces. Earrings with horizontal geometric shapes help complement skinny cheeks. Round or rich jewelry helps make the ears and neck look perfect. Earrings with big gemstones and colorful vintage earrings make the long face look more noble. However, people with long faces should avoid wearing long swinging earrings as they will make the face look longer.

Necklace: Short necklace is more ideal for the long face, and pendants with horizontal lines or in square shape, would have shortening visual effect to the long face.

Square Face
Earrings: Earrings with long chain or in vertical and geometric shape is the best for the square-faced people. The extended lines on both sides of the face produce the elongating visual effect on the face. Sleek and round earrings, such as the water drop-shaped, oval, oblong, crescent-shaped, new leaf, single petal-shaped, heart-shaped, spiral or long curved earrings are all good for the square face. Stud earrings should be avoided as they are usually suitable for women with very nice face shape. They not only fail to undermine the face defects but will even strengthen it and bring it to the fore. Jewelry with tough lines and square, triangular and pentagonal shapes should also be avoided, as it will exacerbate the visual sense of facial edges and corners.

Necklace: A square face requires a longer necklace to lengthen its face shape, so it is better to choose pendants with straight lines or geometric patterns.

Diamond-shaped Face
Earrings: Both large round and triangular earrings are suitable for the diamond-shaped face. Long earrings that reach the lower jaw help divert people’s sight off the high cheek bones, and the horizontal visual expansion helps complement the sharp chin. Earrings with water drop and round shapes are also nice. However, diamond-shaped, heart-shaped, inverted triangle, and exclamation point-shaped earrings should all be avoided, as they will make the chin look sharper, thinner and angular.

Necklace: Short necklace with big pendants helps set off the sharp chin softly. Pendants with straight lines or geometric patterns are also good choices.


Inverted-triangle Face
Earrings: People with inverted-triangle faces have a relatively sharp chin and a broad forehead. They should avoid wearing any earrings that make the cheek bones look larger. Therefore, stud earrings and drop earrings with hanging chains are the most incompatible adornments for the inverted-triangle face. Earrings with heavy decorations at the top and hanging filament strips at the bottom are like the imitation of the defects of the face shape as they highlight the inverted triangle facial outline. Therefore, it is wise to select the earrings or pendants with narrow top and wide base, such the water drop-shaped, gourd-shaped, equilateral triangles without sharp angles, oval and button shapes. They can balance the pointed and thin chin, and make the facial contour look smoother and softer. In addition, avoid wearing drop earrings with length leveling the chin as this will easily draw people’s attention to the wearer’s thin chin. Instead, shorter or longer drop earrings are more recommended.

Necklace: Necklaces with straight lines and geometric patterns make females with inverted-triangle faces look more decent.

Round Face
Earrings: Chain earrings and water drop-shaped earrings are particularly suitable for the round-faced people. While the vertical lines on both sides of the face produce the lengthening visual effect on the face, the earrings with curve designs match the round face harmoniously. Elongated earrings with rectangular shape, chain shape, water drop shape, Z-shape and leaf shape help balance the visual effect of the round face. The length of such earrings should be 2-3cm at best. It is wise not to follow the trend blindly to wear stud earrings or earrings with bulky blade, as they will make the face rounder.

Necklace: Necklace should be long, and pendants should be with vertical lines and oval pattern.

Oval face
Earrings: The oval face matches harmoniously and beautifully with most earrings. Even the simplest designs can produce good effects. Tassel earrings with length reaching the chin can bring out the wearer’s uniqueness by balancing the soft facial contour with a sense of toughness.

Necklace: Most necklaces are very suitable for the oval face. Pendants with round shape or curvy design help enrich the visual harmony.

Pear-shaped Face
Earrings: Water drop-shaped earrings, oval-shaped clasped earrings and earrings with moderate length are good for the pear-shaped face, but their length should not be extended to the chin, otherwise the lower jaw would look broader than it should be.

Necklace: People with the pear-shaped faces should choose necklaces with moderate length and pendants with vertical lines or patterns of water droplets. This elongates and softens the cheek significantly and make the face look more beautiful.

Heart-shaped Face
Earrings: The heart-shaped face matches well with earrings with gently curved patterns. The earrings can be big or small, bent or soft. Either way, they help radiate the feminine beauty.
 
Necklace: The heart-shaped face is highly adaptable, but the necklaces with slight curvature do a better job in highlighting the sharpness of the chin.



Extracted from various expert sources

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