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The end of WWI heralded a massive
change from the excesses of the Edwardian and Belle Époque
eras. Women’s roles were changing, and the wealth of the
nobility had been severely depleted. In this rapidly
changing time, the Art Deco movement emerged. The goal was
to make a clean break from the past, draw inspiration from
everyday life, and rid the decorative arts of useless
ornamentation.
This new style was first exhibited
in Paris in 1925 at the famed International Exhibition of
Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts. Art Deco was the
visual embodiment of modernist principles. Celebrating the
triumph of technology and the sleek, liberating forms of the
machine age, its emphasis on structure responded to the
widespread desire for order in the wake of chaos.
In the jewelry world, some of the
major players were Cartier, Fouquet and Van Cleef & Arpels.
The relationship between form over function lead to
replacing the fluid lines and nature-based motifs of the
time with geometric design in the form of clean lines,
contrasting materials and color becoming vogue.
Art Deco forms were not necessarily
simpler, but rather more linear and streamlined. This new
style flowed over to architects and fashion designers. Coco
Chanel was a game changer in the fashion industry. She was
the guiding light which liberated women’s ability to move
and the Art Deco style fit perfectly with the new look!
Art Deco
Pendant embodies all of
the style and elegance of the Art Deco era. A large oval CZ
is bezeled with peyote stitch which gets extended along the
sides with peyote stitch and netting. CZs are set in pronged
frames and stitched to the base. A pearl cabochon is bezeled
similarly to the CZ bezel and attached to the base of the
oval CZ. A cubic right-angle weave frame is created that
wraps around the two bezels giving the pendant the
architectural look of the period. The pendant ends with a
bezeled pear CZ, giving some movement. Adding to the glamour
of the pendant, pearl straps are made using right-angle
weave, ending with two beautiful CZ buttons and a connector.
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