• About me
  • FAQ

Vanity and the Bluestocking

Vanity and the Bluestocking

Tag Archives: Jewellery

Auction feature: Edwardian and Art Nouveau jewellery

28 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by Beth McNally in Antiques

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Antiques, Art Nouveau, Garland Style, Jewellery

I’ve never really been a Tiffany sort of girl – waiting patiently for my one true love to give me diamond solitaires and bland little metal hearts. I buy my own jewellery, and I prefer things with a bit more age and character, handcrafted with care, not stamped out of a machine.

It’s a tough contest, but I think my favourite era for jewellery is the early 20th Century. There are two competing styles from that period, and try as I might, I can’t decide which is the most beautiful. In the blue corner is the classically inspired garland style – the advent of platinum jewellery (much stronger than gold) led the way to a much lighter and airier style. Garland jewellery is classically Edwardian – symmetrical, graceful and refined. The peridot pendant on the right below is a lovely example – the two pendants together are up for auction on the 15th of March, with an estimate of £70-£100.
20120228-203850.jpg
In the red corner is the Art Nouveau style – inspired by medieval craftsmen and the orient. It tends to be asymmetrical, heavily inspired by nature – all elegant whiplash curves – and handcrafted from much more offbeat materials. The brooch below is a good example, made by Liberty and Co. from silver, enamel and mother of pearl, it has been a bit bashed over the years but it still looks lovely. It’s up for auction on the 12th of March with an estimate of £60-90.
20120228-213817.jpg
Luckily for me, a lot of jewellery designers drew inspiration from both styles – these next two examples are light, symmetrical and made of conventional gemstones, but you can see the rebellious art nouveau influence in their whiplash curves…
20120228-203332.jpg
20120228-204254.jpg
These are both coming up in an auction on the 15th. The lovely amethyst pendant is estimated at £300-£400, while the diamond and pearl one is up for £700-£900. I do wonder if the diamonds are set in low grade platinum – it was cheaper than gold at the time, and usually not hallmarked.

Images kindly provided by Fellows & Sons.

Share this:

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Recent Posts

  • Collecting art on a budget
  • Vintage Sunday
  • Bath Embroiderers Guild exhibition
  • Homemade rose essential oil by any other name would smell as sweet
  • The Darkest, Dampest, Deadliest Chocolate Brownies of All Time

Categories

  • Antiques
  • Architecture
  • Art
  • à la mode
  • Beauty
  • Book Reviews
  • Craft
  • Events dear boy, events
  • Food
  • Mansion and Potager
  • Recipes
  • Uncategorized

Archives

  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

RSS Feed RSS - Posts

RSS Feed RSS - Comments

Blog at WordPress.com.

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
%d bloggers like this: