Jewelry Lovers

Brooches of the Twentieth Century
Platinum became a popular jewellery material in the early 1900s. The Edwardian used its pale colour to offset delicate shapes and the light hues of diamonds, pearls, peridots and aquamarines. In the early 1920s Cartier set jewellery with carved coloured gems to create a multicoloured effect often described as ‘fruit salad’. [...]

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In jade is sealed the alliance between man and gemstone through thousands of years. Its use was not confined only to man’s ornamental and protective needs in the form of jewelry and amulets, but also served him in the early Stone Age as one of the elementary implements of his culture—as tools for hammering, splitting, [...]

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During the Flower Power era, the renewed interest in Asia and the Far East led to a return to natural materials such as bone, ivory and Indian metalwork. Western jewelers were influenced by the varied assortment of goods being imported from Asia, and leather thong jewelry hung with dyed feathers and wooden beads typified the [...]

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Artist-jewelers in Britain in the seventies gained two new means by which to promote their work. One was the opening of an important retail outlet, Electrum, in London. The other was the establishment of the Crafts Advisory Committee, later renamed the Crafts Council. This was set up in 1971 to promote and develop the importance [...]

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The Bauhaus continued to influence art and design establishments throughout Europe, particularly in Britain and Holland, during this period. Designers searched for forms that would be minimalist, universal and democratic. Artists and craftsmen saw themselves as ‘pioneers who were liberating the world from the bonds of tradition’. Studio Crafts were established in art schools in [...]

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It was during the sixties that jewelry first ceased to be perceived as being solely for women. Jody Shields describes the way that the avant-garde idea of jewelry for men percolated through to the fashion market.
‘Fashion-conscious men tossed aside neckties in favour of necklaces. With that action, the man on the street joined the ranks [...]

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Wendy Ramshaw is an artist-jeweler who has been making jewelry since the late 1960s in a variety of precious and non-precious materials from paper, Perspex and wood to I8ct gold. She has stated recently that:
‘I enjoy looking at jewelry and I enjoy wearing jewelry. These are, in simple terms, the real reasons why I am [...]

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The rough piece is first of all reduced to the approximate size and then cut down on a circular saw impregnated with diamond bort. A wheel charged with carborundum is used for the coarse preparatory grinding, and fine cutting requires sandstone. The final stage is the polishing with tripoli on tin, lead, or felt laps, [...]

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Clear crystals make their impact through the magic of color, vividness of luster, and play of light. The enchantment of opaque ornamental stones is kindled by their colors and ravishing color schemes, as well as by the endless array of patterns resulting from their inexhaustible combinations and permutations. Tortuous bands, apparently fortuitously arranged circles, and [...]

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This new fashion-conscious era expanded the market for costume jewelry. Decorative and amusing ornamentation became an essential. Even Chanel had crept out of retirement to reinvigorate the market with ‘multi-layers of gilt, glass stones and pearls.’ Chanel-inspired Renaissance jewelry remained in vogue well into the sixties. Christian Dior’s jewelry designs during the fifties were increasingly [...]

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