Art Deco's Influence on Jewellery

24th October 2025

F. Scott Fitzgerald famously coined the term “The Jazz Age” to describe a glittering period of exuberance and modernity during the 1920s, immortalised in The Great Gatsby.

The aftermath of the First World War saw a new creative spirit take hold where the ornate flourishes of the late Victorian and Edwardian eras were replaced by the sleek symmetry and bold geometry of Art Deco. Across Britain and beyond, department stores, cinemas, railway stations and even factories became canvases for this striking new aesthetic; many of which still stand today as enduring symbols of progress and design innovation.

A New Era of Design

Designers drew inspiration from a fascinating range of sources; from archaeological discoveries in Egypt and Mesoamerica, advances in technology, to the rise of the skyscraper and the glamour of ocean liners. Influences from Chinese, Indian, Egyptian and Aztec cultures combined with Western modernism to create a distinctive Art Deco style, crystalised in the 1925 ‘Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Moderne’.

‘Flapper’ Fashion

Freed at last from the corset, women’s emancipation dictated that fashion evolve to adopt a more practical silhouette, including shorter hair and hemlines. New jewellery styles to suit ‘Flapper’ fashion emerged, including the large cocktail ring, long sautoir necklace, geometric design bracelets and elongated earrings to show off shorter hair lengths. Convertible jewellery was also de rigueur. The tiara was replaced by the bandeau that could be converted to be worn as a necklace. Clip brooches and pins were extremely popular and widely worn, adorning hats, coats and dresses.

Innovation in Jewellery Craftsmanship

Industrial advances of the time transformed jewellery design. Platinum’s strength and lightness allowed for intricate, airy settings. Van Cleef & Arpels pioneered the serti invisible technique, setting gemstones without visible metal. Gem cutters developed new ways to cut stones allowing for intricate mosaic and geometric designs. Cultured pearls had arrived and were being produced in abundance. Brightly coloured stones such as sapphires, emeralds, rubies and citrines were fashionable, as were high contrast colour combinations, such as onyx and diamond.

The upcoming Fine Jewellery auction on 29^th and 30^th October includes many quality examples of Art Deco innovation. Pictured here:

• Lot 730. A pair of Art Deco jadeite and onyx earrings. Pre-sale estimate £4,000-£6,000*
• Lot 733. Louis Maruzzi, an Art Deco diamond and onyx bracelet, circa 1925. Pre-sale estimate, £20,000-£25,000*
• Lot 756. A French Art Deco diamond tiara/necklace. Estimate: £30,000-£50,000*
• Lot 729. Cartier, an Art Deco jadeite, sapphire, diamond and enamel vanity case, Paris, circa 1925. Estimate: £15,000-£20,000*

View page turning catalogue here
*All pre-sale estimates are exclusive of buyer's premium.