Art Nouveau was a period in history that spanned from about 1880 to 1910. While the biggest part of the movement was in Europe, Art Nouveau enjoyed a good stay in the United States as well. Art Nouveau literally means “new art.” And with the death of super conservative Queen Victoria, jewelry designers will broke the conservative molds and went bold and beautiful.
With Art Nouveau jewelry, you could count on light colors, subtle curves and imagination. You could also count on colors from nature as well. In fact, some Art Nouveau jewellery depicted flowers, bugs, animals, mythical figures and more. A variety of different materials were used in the creation of Art Nouveau jewelry as well. Enameling was popular as was silver and copper. Semi-precious gems such as opals, pearls, amethyst and citrine were preferred over more traditional gems like diamonds.
If you were to find vintage Art Nouveau jewelry today, depending on the condition, it could command a great price. The detailing on Art Nouveau silver jewelry and other pieces was exquisite. Never before had bugs like dragonflies or flowers like orchids or lilies come to life as they did in the Art Nouveau period. The enameling process made the detailing such as the flower petals and such come to life with such color.
Other materials were also used for the Art Nouveau jewelry of the day. You could expect to find ivory, horn, glass and even tortoise shell. Mythical figures and exotic looking women were also depicted in certain pieces. While the Art Nouveau period was relatively short, it had a great influence on practically all decorative arts.
Another beautiful part of Art Nouveau history are the jewelry caskets. Art Nouveau jewelry casket was a small ornate box, usually oval in shape, which had carvings such as flowers. Lined in felt, these small jewelry caskets held little jewelry pieces on your dresser top.
Today, you can find Art Nouveau reproduction jewelry if you are a fan of the era. With the Art Nouveau costume jewelry, you can have all of the fun of the era without having to relive it! And if you are a huge fan, you might want to consider scouring the antique stores, flea markets and estate sales for Art Nouveau jewelry. Sometimes, people getting rid of things like old jewelry just don’t know what they have. However, if you know the Art Nouveau period you are likely to spot that genuine find in a junk box somewhere.
