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During
the 14th and 15th centuries jewelry became an important feature for both male
and female attire.
In the
first half of the 15th century jewels composed of enameled gold figures,
flowers, and foliage modeled in high relief were frequently mixed with clusters
of pearls to create stunning ornaments.
The influence
of the Spanish court set a standard for the other princely courts of Europe during the 16th Century. At this time
the art of engraving on metal was perfected. As trade and communication
improved, designers were able to print and distribute their ideas throughout Europe.
The most
striking and influential of designs were for figurative pendants of legendary
subjects. Later development of this style included a framework of abstract
ornament or architectural elements.
The most
famous artist-goldsmith of this period was Benvenuto Cellini. He worked in his
native Italy and later for
Francis I of France.
Cellini is known mainly through his autobiography and sculpture. Although, he
was renowned as a great goldsmith during his time, no jewelry that he worked on
has survived to the present day.
In the
17th century figurative designs became less fashionable and there was a shift
of interest to formal designs using faceted gems and pearls. After 1640, the
uncut, or cabochon, gem is rarely found in jewelry.
During
the 17th century, the Golconda diamond mines
opened in India.
Dutch
merchants supplied diamonds for the European market and Amsterdam became the center for the trading
and cutting of gems and remains so till today.
By the middle
of the 17th century a new, many-faceted "rose" style of cutting had
replaced old, square "table" cut. Stones were set in close proximity
and settings played a smaller part in the overall effect. Silver was frequently
used with diamonds to make the setting less visible. Delicate floral designs in
enamel were used to decorate the backs of finer jewels.
In the late
17th century Gilles Legare, the court jeweler to Louis XIV of France, was responsible
for some of the finest designs. Louis XIV was the last European monarch to wear
large numbers of jewels.
18th
Century Jewelry
Fashions
were lighter and more frivolous in the 18th Century. The sparkle of
diamonds seemed brighter as they were cut in the new "brilliant"
style that was invented in Venice
between the end of the 17th and the beginning of the 18th century. Other
innovations included the informal spray of flowers entirely formed of stones. This
type of jewelry required the utmost skill of the jeweler.
From
1725 an abundant new source of diamonds in Brazil had a big impact on the
development of jewelry. There was also a large demand for imitation, or paste,
diamonds.
Paris, the fashion center of the
world, was severely disrupted by the French Revolution of 1789 and diamonds
became unfashionable during the period of republicanism that followed. Only
simple gold jewelry inspired by classical antiquity was worn in the
post-revolution period.
Neoclassical
designs were well suited to Napoleon I. His wife, Josephine, loved antique cameos and
they were made into magnificent “parures." (Matching sets of jewels consisting
of necklace, earrings, and brooches or clasps of various sizes.) Diamonds soon
came back into favor in the Napoleonic court and there was a renewed interest
in colored stones.
The
fashion was for light filigree, or mechanically stamped-out gold jewelry, set
with pale-colored semiprecious stones that produced a rich effect at a low
cost. This style originated in Britain,
where Queen Victoria
set the mood for society.
Victorian
jewelry, such as lockets and brooches incorporating miniature portraits or
locks of hair, was sentimental in feeling and low in intrinsic value.
Collection of keepsakes led to an odd fashion of wearing jewelry made of woven
human hair.
19th
and 20th Century Jewelry
In the nineteenth-century
jewelry design was dominated by historical revivals.
The
Gothic revival inspired outstanding jewelry and Parisian jewelers again rose to
great heights of achievement. In late 1860s diamond settings reached a peak of
technical virtuosity with the monture illusion, an elaborate gem-encrusted
framework associated with the jeweler Oscar Massin.
During
same period, archaeologically correct jewelry originated in Italy,
following discoveries of Greek, Roman, and Etruscan gold jewelry.
In 1869
South African diamonds were first brought to Europe and they also helped to
supply an enormous market for jewelry among the newly rich in the United States and South
America. Large and valuable stones often set in solitaire or as
necklaces of single stones, called rivieres, became fashionable. Mechanical
technical excellence prevailed and jewelry making became industrialized.
Later
prosperity in this century encouraged the growth of large commercial
establishments. The most famous of these were Peter Carl Faberge in Saint Petersburg, Russia;
and Charles Lewis Tiffany in New York.
During
the last half of the 19th century the movement devoted to reforming the applied
arts began to affect jewelry as well. This development sprung out of the
British Arts and Craft movement. The most progressive jeweler of this epoch was
the Frenchman Rene Lalique. His work
returned jewelry to the true goldsmith's tradition and his designs done in the
Art Nouveau style compared in brilliance to the works of the Renaissance.
In the
20th century the profession of artist-jeweler becomes established in Scandinavia, where Georg Jensen set a high standard of
artistry and craftsmanship with simple, mass-produced jewelry.
Jewelry from the prestigious international houses such as
Cartier, Chaumet, Boucheron, Van Cleef and Arpels, and Tiffany continued the
conservative tradition of formal gem-set jewelry.
Bo Carpenter of Lewis Jewelers is a jewelry expert and
frequently writes about jewelry and related topics. Lewis Jewelers is proud to
carry the full line of Pandora Bracelets, Pandora Beads and other Pandora
Jewelry. For more information, contact Lewis Jewelers at 877-88-LEWIS or visit www.pandorabraceletsusa.com.
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