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Art Nouveau: Jewels and Jewelers

Article  in  Gems and Gemology · January 1986

DOI: 10.5741/GEMS.22.4.209

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ART NOUVEAU:
JEWELS AND JEWELERS
By Elise B. Misiorowski and Dona M. Dirlam

The Art Nouveau movement, with its

startling concepts i n design, swept
through Europe and the United States in
F rom the mid-19th century to the beginning of the First
World War, an enormous surge of creative energy
expressed itself in virtually every aspect of Western
the late 19th and early 20th centuries. culture. There were advances in technology and science,
The asymmetrical whiplash line which and revolutionary expressions in fine art, music, literature,
typifies Art Nouvem was manifested i n
and the applied arts. In this expansive cultural climate, a
art, architecture, metalwork, textiles, and
interior design. Perhaps its most style was developed that was as unique as it was short-
concentrated and refined expression can lived. Art Nouveau, as the movement has come to be
be seen i n the spectacular Art Nouveau known overall, grew out of several factors. Technological
jewels, which incorporated more unusual advances, brought about by the industrial revolution,
gems and gem materials such as improved communications internationally through travel
moonstones, horn, ivory, opal, turquoise, and commerce. Exhibitions of exotic arts and artifacts
and tourmalines into a host of fanciful exposed the artists of the day to stimulating new concepts
designs. This article discusses the origins in design and use of materials. These new ideas then added
of Art Nouveau and outlines the impetus to an artistic revolt against the dehumanizing
distinctive interpretations and influences that were also by-products of the industrial
contributions made b y significant Art
revolution.
Nouveau jewelers.
This new form of expression was manifested differ-
ently and given different names in each country, but all
were variations of the new art. An early version was called
Arts and Crafts, or Liberty Style, in England and later in the
U.S. In France it was called Art Nouveau or Fin de Sikcle. It
was known as Jugendstil in Germany, Secessionstil in
-
-

Austria, Palingstil in Belgium, and Modernism0 in Spain.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Although nearly every country in Western culture mani-
Ms. Misiorowski and Ms. Dirlam are research
librarians at the Gemological Institute of America, fested this new art in some way, not all of them made
Santa Monica, California. significant contributions to jewelry design. For example,
Acknowledgments: The authors would like to Italy was so involved in producing replicas of classic jewels
thank the following people for their invaluable that its artisans produced little if any new-art jewelry,
assistance in obtaining illustrations for the article:
Vivienne Becker, Robert Crowningshield, Francois
although they acknowledged the movement as Stile Lib-
Curie/, Tam Curry, Mary Edgerton, Ralph e r t y Yet jewelers in England, France, Germany, and the
Esmerian, Fritz Falk, Rita Goodman, John Jesse, United States played major roles in different developmen-
Cheryl Kinion, Irina Laski, Eunice Miles, Lilljan tal stages of the Art Nouveau style. Using more unusual
Nassau, Ira Simon, and Harold and Erica Van
Pelt. Ruth Patchick was especially helpful in typing gemstones and materials than their predecessors in the
the manuscript. Victorian era or their counterparts in the Edwardian style,
@ 1987 Gemological Institute of America the Art Nouveau designers created pieces that are as ex-

Art Nouveau GEMS & GEMOLOGY Winter 1986 209

citing and fascinating today as they were when the tury. Art Nouveau became a metaphor for the
movement first started more than 100 years ago. metamorphosis of the times, translating the myr-
iad influences into a unique form of art that
THE ELEMENTS OF ART NOUVEAU expressed itself in architecture, fabrics, furniture,
Origins of the Movement. Many factors influenced wall coverings, and perhaps most pervasively, in
the development of Art Nouveau. Of great impor- jewelry.
tance was the desire to break loose from the heavy,
ornate, almost repressive styles that held sway Art Nouveau Motifs. Among the many recurring
during the Victorian period. Innovations in metal images found in Art Nouveau jewelry, the most
technology during the industrial revolution fur- widely recognized motif is that of a naked or
thered this rigidity of style by enabling the mass- partially clothed woman surrounded by her loose
production of machine-made pieces. In the middle flowing hair, often depicted swimming or in flight,
of the 19th century, however, it became fashionable symbolically demonstrating her freedom (figure 1).
to wear jewelry patterned after ancient Greek, Nature, associated with fertility and femininity, is
Roman, and Etruscan pieces discovered during the unselfconsciqusly sensual. This eroticism is ap-
burgeoning of archeology. This historicism gave parent in the sinuous interpretation of nature in
rise to a romantic revival which saw artists turn the Art Nouveau line, which expressed movement,
away from industry and draw their inspiration passion, vitality, and the youthful vigor of new
directly from nature. In France, interest in the ideas. Often called the "whiplash line," it repre-
elaborate curved forms of rococo was gradually sents the common element found in virtually
revived, as a similar revival of interest in the every Art Nouveau design and provided the stim-
design elements of Gothic and Celtic art was seen ulus for some of the descriptive names for Art
in the British Isles. With these revivals came a Nouveau such as Palingstil, which means "eel
spiritual yearning for the craft guilds of the Middle style."
Ages. Societies, formed to promote the decorative Winged creatures of many kinds were also
arts, sponsored exhibits and competitions that common in Art Nouveau jewelry. The peacock in
acted as further stimuli. particular is frequently seen, as are swans, swal-
Perhaps the single most important influence lows, roosters, owls, and bats. Insects such as the
on the development of Art Nouveau design, how- dragonfly and butterfly were special favorites be-
ever, was the resumption of trade with Japan in cause enamelists could skillfully represent the
1854. The exhibits of Japanese art held in the 1860s gauzy transparency of wings in a startlingly realis-
had a tremendous impact on European artists. tic manner (figure 2). Scarabs, with their mystical
When Siegfried Bing (1838-1905) opened a Japa- connection to Egyptian lore, were also common
nese import shop in Paris in 1871, he further subjects, as were grasshoppers, bees, and wasps.
exposed the Parisian artworld to Japanese concepts Snakes, which were often used in Victorian jewels
of design (Weisberg, 1986).The simplicity of Japa- as stiff symbols of eternal love, acquired sinister
nese art and the economy of line shown in their new life and movement in Art Nouveau (figure 3).
interpretation of nature was an immediate inspira- The chameleon and lizard were also represented,
tion to the Western world. Curve of human form, as were fish, seahorses, and other sea creatures. A
flow of movement, balanced asymmetry, subtle "fascination with the shocking and nightmarish,
use of color and shading were aspects of Japanese
art that surprised Europe and greatly influenced
the manner in which artists viewed and inter- Figure 1. Partially clad female figures are one of
preted life forms. the most common motifs i n Art Nouveau jewelry,
Numerous exhibitions in Europe and the as illustrated b y these two pendants and brooch
United States displayed artwork and artifacts from designed b y Spanish jeweler Luis Masriera. The
materials used-cast and enameled gold with
many other countries as well, exposing artists to opals, sapphires, pearls, and plique-a-jour
Indian, Arabic, Persian, and Oriental cultures. enamel-are also typically Art Nouveau. These
Exotic species of plants, such as the tiger lily, pieces are recent remakes from the original mold.
wisteria, chrysanthemum, bleeding heart, and or- The winged piece is 6.0 x 6.5 c m long. Courtesy
chid, often represented in Art Nouveau jewelry, of Rita Goodman, Peacock Alley Collection. Photo
were first introduced to Europe in the 19th cen- 0 Harold a ) Erica Van Pelt.

210 Art Nouveau GEMS & GEMOLOGY Winter 1986

-A'". . .
-.

^
*
In. >'^ ;^i.l

i""^ A(^
-. 3'5.
,e
.

^. ---
 extensive use of enamels. This period experienced
a renewed interest in enameling, possibly a conse-
quence of the influx of Japanese artifacts which
introduced new or forgotten techniques to the
West. A variety of enameling techniques came into
vogue, including cloisonnk, champleve, plique-h-
jour, and pate-de-verre. Cloisonnk enamel is made
by forming small cells, or cloisons, with wire on a
metal backing and filling them with separate
colors of enamel. Champleve enamel involves
hollowing out small areas of metal and filling
them with enamel. Plique-A-jour is a difficult
technique that produces a stained-glass-window
effect. Gold chambers backed with thin copper
sheets are filled with transparent enamels. After
firing, the copper backing is dissolved in an acid
bath, leaving the enamel with the transparency of a
pane of glass. Pate-de-verre, the ancient Egyptian
technique of melting ground glass and molding it
into complex shapes, was reintroduced and often
used in place of gem materials.
The combination of inexpensive materials and
Figure 2. This dragonfly brooch with a woman's expensive gems is typically Art Nouveau. There
face carved in ivory shows one of the fanciful
forms that Art Nonveau jewelry often takes. Of was extensive use of horn and ivory, both of which
gold, ivory, plique-a-jouz enamel, diamonds, could be stained soft colors and polished to give
and demantoid garnets, this piece (9 x 8.5 cm) them a bloom and sheen. Metals also were given
is a recent remake from an original mold by colored patinas to work within the theme of a
Luis Masriera. Courtesy of Rita Goodman, piece. Gemstones usually were incorporated into
Peacock Alley Collection. Photo 0 Harold d the work as accents and complements to the design
Erica Van Pelt. rather than as the central focus. Opals were popu-
lar gems, as their changing colors suggested an
inner life. The subtle colors of moonstone,
with things which are not what they appear to be" chalcedony, peridot, amethyst, aquamarine, topaz,
(Beclzer, 1985) manifested itself as mythical char- demantoid garnet, and tourmaline made these
acters and beasts such as Medusas, griffons, drag- gems popular, while diamonds, sapphires, rubies,
ons, and chimeras. and emeralds were generally given the secondary
The Japanese influence can be detected in a role of accents. Mother-of-pearl, turquoise, lapis
realistic view of nature's cycles and elements. Buds lazuli, and malachite were often cut e n cabochon
or seedpods, full blooms, and withered drooping or used as inlay, while baroque pearls were fre-
flowers expressed birth, death, and rebirth, while quently dangled from pendants and brooches or
miniature landscapes depicted the passage of the were used to represent pods or petals.
seasons. These life cycles allowed for a subtle use Some Art Nouveau jewelers continued the age-
of color that was typically Art Nouveau: Spring old practice of incorporating siinulants into their
and summer were shown in verdant greens, deli- jewelry. During this period an imitation emerald
cate pinks, mauves, and lavenders, highlighted by triplet was constructed by cementing a rock crys-
rich magentas and purples; deep reds and oranges tal crown and pavilion with a layer of green gelatin.
mixed with subtle earth tones expressed autumn; Called soude (French for soldered) emeralds, one
and the chill of winter can be seen in cool varia- appears as the center stone in a moth pendant by
tions of blue and silver. Lucien Gautrait (figure 4). Also during the 19th
century, scientists in national museums and uni-
Gems and Other Materials Used. These colors versities were attempting to duplicate gems and
were best expressed in Art Nouveau jewelry by the minerals by growing synthetics. Auguste Victor

212 Art Nouveau GEMS & GEMOLOGY Winter 1986

 Figure 3. Of unknown
French origin (c, 1900), this
snake necklace demon-
strates the grotesque as-
pects of Art Nouveau jewel-
r y while incorporating two
gemstones, black opal and
demantoid, that character-
ize the period. Courtesy of
Rita Goodman, Peacock Al-
ley Collection, Photo 0

I
Harold o)Erica Van Pelt.

Louis Verneuil succeeded in producing the first Figure 4. This gold moth pendant, b y French
synthetic gemstone-Verneuil ruby. Crystals of Nouveau jeweler Lucien Gautrait, incorporates a
these rubies were on display at the Paris Exposition quartz triplet (to imitate emerald) as the center
Universelle de 1900 (1900 Paris Exhibition). It is stone. This piece, c. 1900, measures 6 x 5.5 cm.
not surprising, therefore, that some Art Nouveau Courtesy of Rita Goodman, Peacock Alley
Collection. Photo 0 Harold o) Erica Van Pelt.
jewelry contains simulants or synthetics.
The older generation of Victorians regarded
this untamed and self-indulgent style as the height
of depravity, while the upper-class Edwardians
disdained Art Nouveau as decadent and bourgeois.
The Edwardian style of lavish but staid mono-
chrome jewels of diamonds, pearls, and platinum,
which was developing at the same time, provided a
counterpoint to Art Nouveau jewelry, with its use
of inexpensive materials, subtlety of color, and
highly charged motifs. By 1900, however, accord-
ing to French designer Henri Vever, "most people of
fashion had taught themselves to like Art Nou-
veau." Those who resisted the infatuation were
considered to have no taste (Becker, 1985). Al-
though the modern woman of the time didn't
necessarily subscribe to immersing herself in the
Art Nouveau style of furnishings and architecture,
it was still a safe move for her to "risk her

Art Nouveau
reputation for taste by indulging herself in the time, women were also involved in the design and
purchase of a piece of contemporary jewelry . . .I1 fabrication of jewelry and jeweled objects. Shun-
(Battersby 1968). ning precious metals and expensive gemstones,
While Art Nouveau was one of the first truly they used humble materials and enameling to
international movements, Art Nouveau jewelry produce strong yet simple pieces.
tended to acquire the character of each country in Although Ruskin established the first coopera-
which it was fashioned. Thus, to understand the tive, the Guild of St. George, in 1871, Charles R.
various manifestations of Art Nouveau jewelry, we Ashbee (1863-1942)) a former architect and a self-
will examine some of the foremost designers from taught silversmith and jeweler, was the most
those countries in which Art Nouveau had a major influential designer of the Arts and Crafts move-
impact on jewelry. ment. He founded the School of Handicraft in
1888; out of his work, his theories, and his guild
GREAT BRITAIN evolved guidelines for other groups (Hinks, 1983).
Much of Art Nouveauls early development oc- Ashbee is particularly famous for his inter-
curred in Great Britain. Not only was England the pretations of the peacock motif, making use of
first country to experience the industrial revolu- turquoise-colored enamels or abalone (figure5).He
tion, but it was also the most advanced industrial often set the feathers with gemstones from the
nation throughout the 19th century. Furthermore, expanding British empire: pearls from India, opals
its dominant role as a colonizing empire brought from Australia, moonstones from Ceylon (Sri
new ideas and exotic objects which stimulated Lanka), and diamonds from South Africa (Arm-
artistic as well as scientific and political thought. strong, 1977).These continued to be favorites of
By the early 1800s, critics were questioning the the Art Nouveau jewelers. Ashbee's sensuous use
impact of the industrial revolution on daily life. of plant motifs, moths, and other insects heralded
The Great Exhibition of London in 1851 further the onset of Art Nouveau themes.
strengthened their case. The display of machine- While the Arts and Crafts movement of the
made goods - shoddy and often tasteless - was im- 1880s was the catalyst for the whole European
petus to the movement. The art community called and American artistic revolution, it was Arthur
for a return to the principles of freedom of expres- Lazenby Liberty (1843-1917) who translated its
sion for individual artists and craftsmen. This, esoteric design into fashionable jewels. After ap-
they argued, would bring an enjoyment of art to prenticing as a draper, Liberty joined the Farmer
the lives of ordinary people. The Arts and Crafts and Rogers' Great Shawl and Cloak Emporium in
movement was the expression of this change. Regent Street in 1862. This was the very same year
John Ruskin (1819-1900) laid the foundation of the International Exhibition in Kensington,
for the Arts and Crafts movement with his ideas where the major attraction was the Japanese sec-
and his writing. In his earliest published work tion. Farmers and Rogers bought the bulk of the
(1843), he tells the artist to "go to Nature in all Japanese exhibit and opened the Oriental Ware-
singleness of heart, and walk with her laboriously house, which Liberty managed for many years
and trustingly" (Nevins, 1986). before he opened his own shop, the East India
By the 1850s, a young undergraduate, William House.
Morris (1834-1896)) had joined Ruskin's cause. In Liberty saw the talent and potential of the Arts
1861, Morris started a firm to produce tapestries, and Crafts designers, and commissioned exclusive
wallpaper, textiles, stained glass, and furniture- designs for his fabrics (figure 6) and later for silver
called Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. - that and other metalwork. He began importing Art
promoted natural themes. The motifs that Morris Nouveau objects from the Continent around 1897,
used for his wallpapers and fabrics were drawn notably some of the Jugendstil metalware from the
from simple flowers in his garden: tulips, honey- German firm of Kayser. When this proved success-
suckles, lilies, daisies, anemones, marigolds, ful, he launched his own line of metalwork in the
larkspurs, and carnations (Nevins, 1986). late 1890s under the trade name Cymric.
The Arts and Crafts movement also promoted An important aspect of the Cymric style of
the formation of guilds and art schools, where English Art Nouveau jewelry was its revival of
craftsmen were trained to design, make, and deco- Celtic art. The Celts, who had inhabited West
rate the object from beginning to end. For the first Central Europe, invaded the British Isles about 250

214 Art Nouveau GEMS & GEMOLOGY Winter 1986

 Figure 5. Founder of the
Guild of Handicraft i n
London, Charles Ashbee i s
known for his use of the
peacock motif. This
example is o f gold, silver,
coral, and abalone (c. 1900).
Courtesy of the Jesse d
Laski Gallery, London.

B.C. Their art displayed distinctive features of Figure 6. This printed cotton (c. 1896)
lznots, curving lines, and geometric interlacing. demonstrates how Liberty and Co. adapted the
Archibald Knox (1864-1933) was largely respons- Oriental design elements that had so much
ible for the inclusion of Celtic art and the success influence on the decorative arts during this
of the Cymric style (figures 7 and 8). period. Photograph courtesy of the Smithsonian
During this period, the Murrle, Bennett & Co. Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.
jewelry firm produced a distinctive range of jewel-
ry. Some pieces in silver had a hammered finish
with tiny bump-like rivets and were often set with
mother-of-pearl or amethyst. Also typical were
gold jewels with a matte sheen set with turquoise
and matrix, opal, amethysts, or baroque pearls.
The lines often used the Celtic interlacing or
consisted of gold wires draped over a stone.
In Scotland, Charles Rennie Mackintosh
(1868-1928), architect and designer, led the
Glasgow School, a pioneering group of architects
and designers who greatly influenced the decora-
tive arts in Great Britain and America, and in
Western Europe. Mackintosh exerted a formative
influence on jewelry design in Austria, even
though he himself designed only a few pieces of
jewelry. His best-known design is one of birds
flying through storm clouds with rain drops of
pearls.
The Art Nouveau movement in England,
though, in the words of author Graham Hughes
(1964), "was almost stillborn because of British

Art Nouveau GEMS & GEMOLOGY Winter 1986 215

 total indulgence in Art Nouveau that ultimately
gave it such great impact. The greater freedom of
artistic expression in France enabled the French to
develop the basic concepts embodied in the Arts
and Crafts movement in England into the full
sensuality, lyricism, and fancifulness seen in
works by Lalique and others.
FRANCE
French Art Nouveau jewelry is generally consid-
ered to represent the style in its purest form. For
innovation, imagination, quality of workmanship,
and mastery of techniques, the French Art Nou-
veau designers are unsurpassed.
French jewelers were inspired by gothic and
rococo designs as well as by design concepts
recently introduced from Japan.There is also some
evidence that the avant-garde of the Parisian cafe
society had been experimenting with drugs for
some time in their ongoing search for new experi-
ences and new sources of inspiration (Armstrong,
1977).This experimentation may have contributed
to some of the bizarre combinations of insects,
Figure 7. Famed English designer Archibald animals, and humans that are frequently seen in
Knox created this 18K gold and opal necklace French Art Nouveau jewelry: women's serene
for Liberty and Company (c. 1900). Courtesy of faces emerging from monsters' jaws, winged sea
the fesse &> Laski Gallery, London. serpents, or the baleful glare of a Medusa's head
writhing with snakes.
reticence: as a nation we do not indulge in orgies of Through the theater and the artistic salons, the
visual fun." While the British set the stage in terms "emancipated" women of the 1880s and '90s also
of design influence, materials used, and emphasis acted as inspiration to the artists of the day. Sarah
on craftsmanship, the British reserve prevented the Bernhardt, whose flamboyant stage performances
took Paris by storm, commissioned bold jewelry
for the stage. Loie Fuller danced with diaphanous
Figure 8. Knox designed this gold "waist clasp" for veils. And Cleo de Merode let her hair flow loose
Liberty and Co. (c. 1901). Created as a monogram
while she danced.
E.R. (Edward Rex) i n honor of King Edward VII, i t
well exemplifies the whiplash line. Courtesy of the Dozens of French jewelers designed in the Art
Jesse a> Laski Gallery. London. Nouveau style, but the one who contributed the
most overall in terms of innovative design and use
of materials was Rene Lalique.

Rend Lalique. Lalique was born in 1860 in Ay on

the river Marne. He was apprenticed at 16 to
Parisian jeweler Louis Aucoc, from whom he
learned the traditional jewelry-making tech-
niques. After two years with Aucoc, he went to
England and studied at Sydenham College. In 1880,
he returned to Paris and for the next five years
worked as a designer of jewelry, fans, fabric, and
wallpaper. He established his own business in
1885, and was subsequently commissioned by
Sarah Bernhardt to make some jewels for the stage.

Art Nouveau GEMS & GEMOLOGY Winter 1986

In 1895, Siegfried Bing converted his Japanese
import shop into a store that featured art, textiles,
jewelry, glass, and furniture in the new style. He
named it La Maison de 1Art Nouveau, thus giving
the movement its name and serving to bring
prominent artists of the time into the public eye.
Among these were Lautrec, Bonnard, Mucha,
Tiffany, Mackintosh, Beardsley, and Lalique. Also
at this time, Lalique submitted jewels to a compe-
tition at the Salon de la Societe des Artistes
Fran~ais.One of these, a cloalzclasp, was "arguably
the first Art Nouveau jewel to use a naked female"
(Becker, 1985).Critics raved about his work, espe-
cially praising his unusual style and technique,
which promised to rejuvenate the art of jewelry
making.
Lalique reached the pinnacle of his success at
the 1900 Paris Exhibition. Lalique's pavilion, de-
signed entirely by himself, had soft gray carpets
and gray gauze drapes against which hung black
velvet bats. The front was framed with a wrought
iron grille depicting partially clothed winged wo-
men. The pavilion served as a perfect showcase for Figure 9. Renk Lalique is credited with being
the first Art Nouveau jeweler t o use horn as a
his jewels, which were displayed in cases on white material i n jewelry. This orchid diadem (14.5
watered silk and ground glass. His exhibit caused x 16.0 cm, c. 1903) also includes ivory, topaz,
an immediate sensation, and for it Lalique won a and gold. Courtesy of the Calouste Gulbenkian
grand prize and the rosette of the Legion of Honor. Museum. From the Lalique exhibit organized
After that, Lalique was inundated with interna- b y the International Exhibitions Foundation,
tional commissions. His largest came from the Washington, DC.
Armenian banker, Calouste Gulbenlzian, for
whom Lalique produced a series of 145 pieces from
1895 to 1912. These jewels, perhaps Lalique's most
fantastic and unusual pieces, can be seen today at and gemstones (figure 9). Much of his work incor-
the Gulbenlzian Museum in Portugal. Unfor- porates glass, either in one of the enameling
tunately, the price of fame for Lalique was to see techniques that were being experimented with at
his work endlessly copied and imitated. This that time, or as pate-de-verre. This "glass paste"
plagiarism and cheap commercialization disillu- could be given a matte or shiny surface, ideal for
sioned Lalique, and once the commission to faces, flowers, or other figures. Lalique was also
Gulbenlzian was completed, he ceased making fond of opals and moonstones (figure 10).Many of
jewelry and turned all of his talent to glassmaking his pieces use faceted moonstones with diamonds
(Becker, 19851. to create a subtle play of sheen and sparkle. Opals
Lalique's pieces overall are dramatic and theat- were used as symbolic water accents or as eyes in a
rical, with motifs drawn from nature that are full peacock's tail (figure 11). In some cases, Lalique
of an underlying sexual tension. His women are used large slices of opal as a background for
beautiful, sensual, flowing nudes that are often intricately chased and enameled gold.
fantasy creatures with wings or tails, part insect or Lalique was a primary force in Art Nouveau
fish. Lalique was innovative in his use of materials jewelry. His jewels are without equal for origi-
and is credited with being the first to use the nality, technique, and integration of materials, and
material horn in his jewels. Over the years; he they served as a beacon for other jewelers to follow.
produced many brooches, combs, pendants and Although literally hundreds of other French jew-
tiaras of horn, which he carved, stained, enameled, elers and craftsmen manufactured Art Nouveau
and polished, often studding the pieces with gold jewels, many produced but a single piece, so that

Art Nouveau GEMS & GEMOLOGY Winter 1986 217

 Lalique's great volume of works is all the more
astonishing.

Henri Vever. The grandfather of Henri Vever

(1854-1942) founded the Maison Vever, a leading
Parisian jewelry firm. Henri and his brother Paul
took over the firm in 1881, and made innovative
changes in the design and manufacture of their
jewelry. Like Lalique, Henri Vever also won a grand
prize at the 1900 Paris Exhibition. His firm com-
missioned designers such as Eugene Grasset and
Etienne Tourette. Vever was unusual as an Art
Nouveau jeweler in that he continued to use
rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and diamonds in pro-
fusion rather than the less expensive gems and
materials favored by Lalique and others. The firm
of Vever was also known for their haircombs of
horn in organic motifs with plique-A-jourenamels
and freshwater pearls. Vever's work, however, gen-
erally showed more reserve than Lalique's (figure
121, possibly because Vever catered to a more
conservative clientele (Battersby, 1968). Henri
Figure 10. This flower thistle pendant of Vever was also a prolific writer and critic of Art
enameled gold, moonstone, sapphires, and pdte-
Nouveau; his three-volume work on 19th-century
de-verre shows h o w adept Lalique was at
mixing his materials. The piece, which jewelry, La Bijouterie Francaise au XIX Sidcle
measures 8.4 x 8.2 c m and is dated at c. 1900, (1906-1908), contains much information about the
is from the Lalique Exhibit organized by the leading Art Nouveau jewelers.
International Exhibitions Foundation,
Washington, DC. Courtesy of the Calouste Georges Fouquet. In the 1 8 8 0 ~another
~ Parisian
Gulbenkian Museum. firm, Fouquet, also began to use Art Nouveau

Figure 11. Opals were

frequently used i n Art
Nouveau jewels. This
female figure and swan
necklace by Rent? Lalique
incorporates black
enameled gold, opals,
amethysts, and plique-a-
jour (c. 1899). Courtesy o f
Lillian Nassau and the
Metropolitan Museum of
Art. From the Lalique
Exhibit organized b y the
International Exhibitions
Foundation, Washington,
DC.

Art Nouveau GEMS & GEMOLOGY Winter 1986

motifs, but the jewelry was stiff and lacked the
movement and grace usually associated with the
Parisian style. In 1895, Georges Fouquet (1862-
1957), so11 of the founder, took over the firm and
made major changes. Collaborating with Des-
rosiers, an independent designer, Georges Fouquet
produced some very fine pieces, primarily in gold
with enamel and gemstones. Much of his work is
characterized by lines of diamonds or other gem-
stones placed along curves for emphasis (figure 13).
In later pieces, tiny flakes of gold and colored foil
were added to his translucent enamels to give an
extra sheen.
Fouquet also employed Alphonse Mucha
(1860-1939), the celebrated poster artist, to design
jewelry specifically for the 1900 Paris Exhibition.
Their first collaborative project was the snake ring-
bracelet executed as a commission for Sarah Bern-
hardt to wear on stage. This elaborate piece is
noted especially for its opal inlay. The partnership
of Fouquet and Mucha, which lasted only two
years, produced dramatic, strange, largely unwear-
able pieces, suggestive of ancient Byzantium.
Characterized by clusters of gem pendants dan-
gling asymmetrically from fantastic diadems and
necklaces, Mucha's designs for jewelry are beauti-
ful on paper but impractical for general wear.
Fouquet continued to work in Art Nouveau
motifs, however, manufacturing Desrosiers's more
feasible designs, until around 1908. After this, he
"lapsed into a more subdued semi-abstract Edwar- Figure 12. Henri Vever designed this "Bretonne"
dian style, leaving naturalistic excesses behind pendant of enameled gold, inlaid opal,
him" (Beclzer, 1985). amethyst, and diamonds for the 1900 Paris
Exhibition. Private collection.
Other French Art Nouveau Jewelry Designers.
Several other large French jewelry houses also
produced jewels in Art Nouveau style. Boucheron GERMANY
made sculptured pieces of chased, enameled gold In Germany, the new style was called Jugendstil
set with gems and pate-de-verre. A gold belt buckle after the new arts magazine fugend (youth),which
with two lionesses biting into a carnelian above a promoted the latest trends. Jugendstil was mani-
green pate-de-verre lion's head exemplifies fested in two distinct versions. The first version,
Boucheron's style. Chaumet also expanded his popular prior to 1900, was influenced by natural-
style to include Art Nouveau jewels, although few ism, Japanese art, and the English floral style. In
of his pieces exist today. Once the fashion was over, this version, German jewelers also imitated French
most of these Nouveau jewels were disassembled jewelry with an adeptness that made it difficult to
and their precious components reused (Beclzer, distinguish German pieces from those of French
1985). Cartier produced a few pieces but only as origin. These were principally produced in the
commissions. They were mostly symmetrical, town of Pforzheim, which has been largely devoted
stiff renditions of popular plant motifs, using gold, to the manufacture of jewelry since the 16th
plique-a-jour, and precious stones. Cartier primar- century.
ily catered to the Edwardian taste for elaborate One of the most interesting designers of this
monochromatic jewels. particular version of German Art Nouveau jewelry

Art Nouveau GEMS & GEMOLOGY Winter 1986 219

220 Art Nouveau GEMS & GEMOLOGY Winter 1986
 Figure 14. This brooch of
enameled gold, baroque
pearls, diamonds, rubies,
amethysts, and topaz shows
the French influence on
early German Art Nouveau
jewels. Named "Tintenfisch
und Schmetterling"
(Octopus and Butterfly), it
was designed by Wilhelm
Lucas von Cranach and
executed by Louis Werner
for the 1900 Paris
Exhibition. Courtesy of the
Schmz~clzmuse~~m,
Pforzheim, Germany.

was Wilhelm Lucas von Cranach (1861-1918). He to develop their crafts. He realized this aspiration
left his occupation as a forester and came to Berlin by commissioning the Austrian architect Joseph
as a portrait and landscape painter in 1893. Soon Maria Olbrich (1867-1908) to organize and design
thereafter, he began to design jewels, which were the buildings for the colony. In 1899, the colony
manufactured in Berlin by Louis Werner and was officially opened and young designers, archi-
ultimately displayed at the 1900 Paris Exhibition. tects, artists, and artisans from all over the world
Von Cranach's designs are influenced both by his came to join it under the direction of Olbrich.
understanding of nature and by a gothic fascina- Jewelry designs from the colony were submitted to
tion with mythic beasts. His most famous piece, Theodor Fahrner (1868-1929), a Pforzheim jeweler,
Tintenfisch und Schmetterling," is of an octopus who did the actual manufacturing. The pieces
with butterfly wings (figure 14). themselves were made of silver with enamelwork
The second version of Jugendstil was a soft- and cabochon opals, agates, and mother-of-pearl,
ened, geometric style that developed out of the following the principle of making artistic jewelry
Darmstadt colony, which was founded in 1897 available to all social classes (figure 15). This
under the patronage of the Grand Duke Ludwig of fashionable, affordable jewelry brought the colony
Hesse. As the grandson of Queen Victoria, the into the public eye, and the new designs helped to
Grand Duke made frequent trips to England, change Jugendstil from the earlier flowery, repre-
where he became familiar with the Arts and Crafts sentational motifs to the abstract, biomorphic
movement and William Morris. It was his dream to style that ultimately led to the development of Art
form an ideal environment for artists and artisans Deco in the 1920s and '30s.

Art Nouveau GEMS & GEMOLOGY Winter 1986 221

 medieval heroine, Isolde, in a jeweled crown
against a plique-ii-jour gothic window (see cover).
This was undoubtedly inspired by the Wagnerian
opera Tristan and Isolde, which was enjoying
enormous popularity in Europe at that time
(Becker, 1985).
Belgium. Belgium played a leading role in the Art
Nouveau movement in architecture and interior
design. The Belgian designers provided a buffer
between the flamboyant French and reserved Eng-
lish styles, serving to integrate and meld the two
extremes. Henry Van de Velde (1863-1957), archi-
tect and designer, worked to integrate the applied
arts so that they harmonized with one another. He
turned to jewelry as yet another outlet for this
expression. His jewelry was abstract with a strong,
Figure 15. Theodor Pahrner executed the
jewelry designs of m a n y prominent German pseudomorphic line that was suggestive of plant
artists. This silver brooch is a good example of growth. Van de Velde's work was most admired in
the softened geometries and affordable materials Germany, which motivated him to live and work
that popularized fugendstil jewels (c.1902). there after 1899.
Courtesy o f the fesse o) Laski Gallery, London. Philippe Wolfers (1858-1929), Belgium's most
distinctive jewelry designer, worked more in the
OTHER EUROPEAN DESIGNERS literal French Nouveau style rather than in the
abstract interpretation seen in Van de Velde's
Spain. Although England, France, and Germany
works. Wolfers's work is eerie and highly original.
had the greatest impact on the Art Nouveau
He was trained as a jeweler by the family firm in
movement in jewelry, other countries in Europe
the 19th-century tradition, learning all aspects of
also produced important designers. Spain's Art
jewelry making. Impressed by the exhibitions of
Nouveau movement was largely confined to archi-
Japanese art that inundated Europe in the 1870s,
tecture; yet one jeweler in particular, Luis Mas-
Wolfers changed his jewelry designs from stiff,
riera (1872-1958), made significant pieces in the
fussy ornaments to sweeping, realistic portrayals
Art Nouveau style. After viewing Lalique's work at
of nature.
the 1900 Paris Exhibition, Masriera returned to
When the first ivory tusks arrived from the
Barcelona and closed his shop for six months,
Belgian Congo in 1892, Wolfers began carving
during which time he melted down his entire
ivory in flower forms which he introduced at the
stoclz of traditional jewels and feverishly designed
International Exhibition at Antwerp in 1894. He
and manufactured jewelry in the Nouveau style.
also used carnelian, opal, and tourmaline,
When he reopened his shop, the display of his
skillfully carved by his artisans into flowers or
jewels caused such a sensation that his entire new
animals.
stoclz was sold out within a week. Masriera's
Wolfers's jewels are haunting and unusual,
adaptations of French Nouveau jewelry frequently
producing some of the same shock effect as La-
incorporated winged nymphs with flowers in their
lique's. He contrasts soft, sensuous forms with
hair, emerging from gem-set frames or borders
bizarre and harsh figures (figure 16).From 1897 to
(again, see figure 1).The female figures often have
1905 he produced a series of 109 Art Nouveau
plique-2-jour enameled wings, and the borders of
jewels, each of which was titled and had a plant,
their draped clothing are occasionally set with
insect, or animal motif. After 1910, as Art Nou-
diamonds. Although these figures are lithe and
veau waned, Wolfers became more of a sculptor,
free, they are fully clothed and quite chaste,
eventually ceasing to make jewelry altogether.
perhaps out of respect for Spain's conservative
religious principles. Some of them represent reli- Austria. In Austria, as in Germany, artists felt
gious icons of angels or the Virgin Mary sur- stifled by the historicism that had dominated art
rounded by jeweled halos. One of Masriera's most and architecture in the first half of the 19th
distinctive jewels is a pendant portraying the century and yearned to express themselves in a

Art Nouveau GEMS & GEMOLOGY Winter 1986

 the mid-1890s, the Vienna Secession began to
manifest a cubic, rectilinear form of design in art
and architecture that was to become their hall-
mark style. Until the early 1900s, Art Nouveau
jewelry in Austria was still modeled after the
naturalistic French style, offering the ubiquitous
dragonflies, butterflies, and women with swirling
tresses. After 1900, a founding member of the
Secessionists, Josef Hoffman (1870-1956), formed
the Wiener Werlzstatte (Viennese Worlzshop] with
Koloman Moser (1868-191 8).They patterned their
workshop after the guilds that were prevalent in
England, with one major difference: Where the
British guild members were primarily artists that
had no training in the jewelry arts, the members of
the Wiener Werlzstatte were formally trained arti-
sans, highly skilled in the decorative arts.
Hoffman's jewelry designs were fabricated by
the artisans at the Wiener Werlzstatte under his
close supervision. Because of his admiration for
the work of the Scottish craftsman Charles R.
Mackintosh, Hoffman's designs reflect the same
ultra-stylized flowers and leaves, joined by long,
gently curving lines, of the Glasgow School. Hoff-
man made his jewelry in silver (figure 17)or gold-
plated silver set with cabochon agates, malachite,

Figure 17. A gold-plated silver brooch

fabricated by the Wiener Werkstatte from a
design by Josef Hoffman shows the influence of
the Glasgow School (c. 191 0). ~ o u r t e s ~ othe
f
Schmuckmuseum, Pforzheim, Germany.

Figure 16. This Eve and serpent pendant was

fashioned from gold, carved rose quartz, opals,
enamel, pearl, and diamonds, with a fancy
yellow diamond drop, b y Philippe Wolfers. The
piece, manufactured c. 1905, measures 7.5 x
13.5 cm. Courtesy of Lillian Nassau.

streamlined, updated fashion. In 1897, a group of

artists broke away from the traditional teaching of
the Vienna Academy and formed their own group,
calling it the Vienna Secession. Austria, like Ger-
many, was also influenced by the Arts and Crafts
movement in Great Britain and particularly by
Macluntosh's Glasgow School (Waddell, 1977).By

Art Nouveau GEMS & GEMOLOGY Winter 1986 223

 ish jeweler and metalsmith, must be mentioned.
Faberg6 is known best for his elaborately jeweled
and enameled decorative objects, such as the
Imperial Easter Eggs, which were in vogue as gifts
among the nobility at the turn of the century. Most
of the wearable jewelry from Faberge's workshops
was in the Edwardian style. However, a few of his
pieces are decidedly Art Nouveau in design, using
enamel, gold, diamonds, sapphires, and other gem-
stones in simple flower motifs that exhibit the
distinctive Art Nouveau whiplash line (figure 18).
While these pieces are not particularly innovative
or distinctive, the fact that Faberg6, a conservative
jeweler with a royal clientele, made Art Nouveau
jewels at all demonstrates the far-reaching influ-
ence of the movement as a whole,
Unable to support himself as a sculptor, Georg
Jensen turned to his former craft of metalsmithing.
In 1904, he opened his own shop and produced
silverware and jewelry characterized by plump
abstract organic shapes and accented with amber,
garnet, citrine, malachite, moonstone, and opal.

Figure 19. Georg Jensen's distinctive style of

plump plant forms is evident in this chased
Figure 18. This waterlily pendant of enameled silver brooch accented by amber and
.
gold with diamonds and a cabochon sapphire is chrysoprase (c. 1908). Courtesy of Ira Simon,
from the workshop of Peter Carl Fabergk. While Chicago.
for the most part his jewelry was designed to
please the conservative Edwardians, this
balanced little jewel exemplifies the lyric line
of Art Nozzveazz (c, 1900). Private collection.

or mother-of-pearl. These gems were enhanced by

enamels, in dark colors or contrasting geometric
patterns of opaque black and white.
Hoffman had many colleagues in Austria who
lent their own interpretation to the Art Nouveau
style. Overall, their jewels are fabricated of silver
worked with hammering, chasing, and enameling
techniques and set with opals, agates, mother-of-
pearl, lapis lazuli, and malachite. Their geometric
patterns and bold contrasts of color are a far cry
from the soft, sensual French Art Nouveau jewels,
another indication of the developing Art Deco
style.

Russia and Scandinavia. Although not strictly Art

Nouveau jewelry designers, Peter Carl Faberg6
(1846-19201, the celebrated Russian court jeweler,
and Georg Jensen (1866-1935), the renowned Dan-

Art Nouveau
His inspiration came from the Lalique exhibit at
the 1900 Paris Exhibition, coupled with his own
interpretation of Viking motifs and a childhood
love of nature (figure 19).Jensen's pseudomorphic
shapes and curvilinear designs were rooted in Art
Nouveau, but his work transcended the period. It
gained in popularity as his style evolved into a
streamlined version of Art Nouveau, which was
more in keeping with the trends of the 1920s and
'30s (Lassen, 1980).
UNITED STATES
A dramatic shift occurred in jewelry making in the
United States when the U.S. government assigned
a duty on imported jewelry in 1850. With the
imposition of the duty, to protect the metalsmiths,
jewelry centers arose quickly and a distinctive
American style began to emerge. Two major devel-
opments characterize the new-art movement in
America: the role of Louis Comfort Tiffany in glass
and jewelry, and the rise of the Arts and Crafts Figure 20. This iris corsage ornament o f gold,
movement in Chicago. sapphires (from Montana), diamonds,
demantoid garnets, and topaz was shown in the
Tiffany. The three most popular exhibits at the Tiffany pavilion at the 1900 Paris Exhibition.
1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago Courtesy of the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore.
were the Japanese, the British Arts and Crafts, and
the work by the Tiffanys- the famous Tiffany and
Company of New York and Louis C. Tiffany's had a not uninteresting collection of his own.
Glass and Decorating Company. Together, the two Oscar Wilde said 'My dear fellow, I see a renais-
Tiffany firms won 55 awards. sance of art, a new vogue in jewelry in this idea of
Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933) was born yours. Bah! who cares for the conservatives! Give
into the well-established jewelry firm, Tiffany and them their costly jewels and conventional settings.
Co., that his father Charles Lewis had founded. Let me have these broken lights - these harmonies
Apparently, it was clear early on that Louis would and dissonances of color' " (Kunz, 1927).
be an artist and not the businessman his father had But no matter where he traveled or what
been. After studying in Paris for two years, he gemstones he bought, Kunz never forgot his first
visited Spain and North Africa; in the course of his enthusiasm for America's "semiprecious stones"
travels, he acquired a taste for Oriental and Moor- (Purtell, 1971), especially the matrix turquoise,
ish art, tourmalines, peridots, freshwater pearls, and
While Louis was traveling, his father hired newly discovered sapphires from Montana. Kunz
George Frederick Kunz as Tiffany's first gemolo- organized a collection of American gemstones for
gist in 1877. The elder Tiffany encouraged Kunz to the Tiffany exhibit at the Paris Exhibition of 1889.
travel throughout the world to add not only dia- This undoubtedly had a major impact on the new-
monds but also colored stones to the store's inven- art designers and jewelers because it showed them
tory As Kunz describes his activities at Tiffany, a whole new world of colored stones. His second
"In those first days, very naturally a large part of major exhibit, composed of gemstones from
my interest was engaged in this problem of discov- around the world, won him a grand prize at the
ering and introducing one after another these 1900 Paris Exhibition (figure 20).
lovely semiprecious stones in which no jewelers of In 1889, Louis Tiffany began a close business
the time were even slightly interested. I remember association with Siegfried Bing, who became his
once showing some of these gems to [noted writer] agent in Paris. That same year, Tiffany was also
Oscar Wilde, who was himself a connoisseur and made director of design at Tiffany and Co. In the

Art Nouveau GEMS & GEMOLOGY Winter 1986 225

 - m m
Figure 21. This Peacock necklace (c. 1906) was designed b y Louis C. Tiffany and manufactured b y
Julia Munson Sherman. It contains opals, amethysts, sapphires, demantoids, rubies, and emeralds.
The reverse side is exquisite cloisonnd enamel on gold. From The "Lost" Treasures of Louis Comfort
Tiffany, b y Hugh McKean. Copyrigh~0 1980 b y Hugh McKean. Published by Doz~bleday&> Co., Inc.

Tiffany and Co. studio, he worked on designs that metal, and enamels at the Tiffany Studio, Julia
included "art" jewelry, now known as Tiffany Munson Sherman was the one who developed the
Studio jewelry. There, he could draw on the store- techniques for the enamels Tiffany used in jewelry.
house of colored stones acquired by Kunz. Accord- In 1903 she became head of the Tiffany and Co.
ing to Sataloff (1984), Louis Tiffany "used every jewelry department, where she executed Louis
stone to its greatest advantage, just as he had Tiffany's jewelry designs. Because she did not sign
combined colors of glass to their advantage." Not any of the pieces, her key role at Tiffany's has only
only was his goldworlz sinuous and fluid, but he recently become known (Novas, 1983).
also made great use of baroque pearls and unusual Tiffany's pieces have been aptly described as
colored stones such as demantoid garnet, tur- "an unusual mixture of handwrought Arts and
quoise (heeven convinced Tiffany and Co. to buy a Crafts and the organic motifs of Art Nouveau,
mine in Arizona), lapis lazuli, and opal. with an emphasis on unusual materials chosen for
Julia Munson Sherman was responsible for the colour and effect rather than intrinsic value . . . he
production of Tiffany Studio's jewelry. An admirer drew on his favorite Oriental and Byzantine motifs
of William Morris, she had studied the Arts and and was dedicated to fine workmanship in all
Crafts workers in England. Working in ceramics, aspects of his jewelry" (Beclzer, 1985).An example

Art Nouveau GEMS & GEMOLOGY Winter 1986

is the Peacock necklace shown at St. Louis in 1904 as flattening the metal into sheets. For inspiration,
and the Paris Salon of 1906 (figure 21). the Chicago metalsmiths turned to American
Another leading New York firm, Marcus and Indians, the American colonial period, or nature.
Company, produced Art Nouveau jewelry charac- Just as in England, common garden flowers were
terized by enamels in vibrant colors such as blue- popular motifs. The jewelry produced by these
green, dark green, and deep pink that were used to metalworkers ranged from bold to delicate and
compliment gemstones. Although the use of reflected the sensual lines and floral motifs of
strong colors gave the Marcus and Co. pieces a French Art Nouveau as well as the peacock motif
distinctive character (figure 22)) this jewelry also and mechanical lines associated with British Arts
borrowed motifs from the French floral Art Nou- and Crafts. Moonstones, amethysts, baroque
veau and sometimes included coils of metalwork pearls, aquamarines, and opals were the choices for
or a soft curving gold line. stones. Enameling and acid etching of the metal
were also popular (Darling, 1977).
Arts and Crafts Movement in Chicago. Chicago Jewelry making particularly appealed to the
was the most receptive of American cities to the growing number of women who were trying their
reforming principles of the British Arts and Crafts hand at metalsmithing. In Chicago, the first worlz-
movement because it coincided with cultural and shops involved in metalsmithing were established
social reforms already under way. Several promi- by women. Clara Barclz Welles (1868-1965) opened
nent British exponents of the Arts and Crafts one, the Kalo Shop, in September 1900. The Kalo
movement, such as Ashbee, visited Chicago and motto - "Beautiful, Useful, and EnduringJJ-
lectured at the Chicago Art Institute. seemed to echo William Morris's adage "have
The Chicago Arts and Crafts Society was nothing to your houses which you do not know to
founded in 1897. The society's creative use of be useful, or believe to be beautiful" (Darling,
natural materials and simplifications of line and 1977).The Kalo Shop specialized in silver jewelry
ornament embodied the Arts and Crafts move- set with pearls, moonstones, topazes, or carnelian,
ment. At the beginning of the new century, Chi- as well as in silver objects from bowls to tea sets.
cago could claim a school of metalsmiths working The demand for handmade metal became so
within the Arts and Crafts traditions using simple great that Marshall Field & Company created a
forms and natural materials. While they adhered to fully equipped craft shop and metal foundry to
the principle that the metal must be worked by augment the jewelry workroom it created in 1904
hand, it was not considered improper to use on the tenth floor of the State Street store (Darling,
machines to eliminate some of the drudgery, such 1977).These operations were quite similar to those

Figure 22. Marcus and Co.

created this dog collar of
gold, cabochon rubies,
diamonds, and plique-a-
jour enamel with nine
twisted seed-pearl ropes (c.
1900). Three of the ruby
cabochons are synthetic.
Synthetic m b y crystals
were on exhibit at the 1900
Paris Exhibition and began
to be incorporated into
jewelry around that time.
Photo courtesy of Christie,
Manson and Woods
International, Inc.

Art Nouveau GEMS & GEMOLOGY Winter 1986 227

 of Liberty & Co. in London. Designers and crafts- hailed as an exciting modern trend, it was now
men produced jewelry that sold under the com- damned as "a ludicrous and ephemeral artists'
pany name. aberration" (Sataloff, 1984).It was as if the public
was embarrassed by the emotional excesses that
Other American Art Nouveau Jewelers. Certainly, Art Nouveau embodied. Once dead, the movement
there were other American manufacturers and was buried quickly and without regret. Much of
jewelers producing Art Nouveau pieces. Both the architecture was demolished, furnishings were
books by Sataloff and Becker contain in their lists replaced, and because they were so representative
of makers' marks the lesser-known American of the period, women would not wear Art Nouveau
jewelers, A number of American manufacturers jewels once the fashion was over (Klamlzin, 1971).
also mass-produced silver jewels in the French Art After 1914, Art Nouveau gave way to the stark,
Nouveau style, notably Unger Brothers, founded in unemotional geometries and streamlined styliza-
1878; William B. Kerr and Co. of Newark, New tion of Art Deco.
Jersey; Averbeclz and Averbeclz of New York; and Although brief, the Art Nouveau movement
the oldest, the Gorham Corporation of Rhode made a lasting contribution to the applied arts by
Island (Beclzer, 1985). raising their status in the eyes of the public. Design
On the one hand, this mass production of silver and construction of buildings, furnishings, jewelry,
Art Nouveau jewelry accomplished a basic tenet of and textiles were infused with a new level of
the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau movements artistry that has carried through to the present day.
by creating beautiful objects that working people After half a century of disenchantment, the
could afford. However, this same mass production public is again finding beauty in Art Nouveau
often focused on the superficial qualities of Art objects, particularly its jewelry. Artists are adopt-
Nouveau, ultimately contributing to its decline. ing some of the motifs and incorporating the
Nouveau line into many of their modern designs. A
CONCLUSION rise in interest can be seen in the number of pieces
The Art Nouveau movement as a whole was that have appeared for auction and the popularity
similar to the exotic plant life that much of it of special exhibits such as the one honoring Ren6
depicted. Rooted in the 1880s, the movement Lalique that toured the United States in 1986, the
budded in the 1 8 9 0 ~came
~ to glorious flower in ''Paris Style 1900, Art Nouveau Bing" exhibit
1900, had faded by 1910, and was utterly dead by currently touring the U.S., and the upcoming May
1915. Over-commercialization of the popular mo- 1987 exhibit of Lalique jewelry at Goldsmiths
tifs glutted the market and caused Art Nouveau's Hall, London. These remaining jewels are the
wane in popularity. The First World War, which embodiment of that ingenuous and exciting time
devastated Europe from 1914 to 1917, effectively of new beginnings and youthful promise, when all
killed the naive romanticism that had given birth the arts enjoyed an explosion of creativity and
to such an ebullient and intensely unique style of artists took themselves to the limits of their
artistic expression. Where Art Nouveau had been imagination and skill.

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ish Styles and Jewels. Lutterworth, London. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.
Battersby M. (1968) The World of Art Nouveau. Arlington Nevins D.(1986)Morris, Ruskin, and the English flower garden.
Books, London. Antiques, Vol. 129, No. 6, pp. 1256-1265.
Becker V (1985)Art Nouveau Jewelry. E, P. Dutton, New York. Novas H. (1983)A jewel in his crown. Connoisseur, Vol. 213,
Darling S.S. (1977) Chicago Metalsmiths. Chicago Historical NO. 860, pp. 134-140.
Society, Chicago. hirtell J. (1971)The Tiffany Touch. Random House, New York.
Hinks I? (1983)Twentieth Century British Jewellery. Faber and Sataloff J. (1984)Art Nouveau Jewelry.D o r r a n c d Co., Pennsyl-
Faber, London. vania.
Hughes G. (1964) Modern Jewellery. Crown Publishers, New Vever H. (1906-1908) La Bijouterie Prancaise Au XIX Sihcle
York. (1800-1900). Paris, H.Floury.
Klamkin C. (1971)The Collectors Book of Art Nouveau. Dodd, Waddell R. (1977) The Art Nouveau Style. Dover Publications,
Mead and Co., New York. New York.
Kunz G.F. (1927)~ m e r i c a ntravels of a gem collector. Saturday Weisberg F. (1986)ArtNouveau Bing: Paris Style 1900. Harry N.
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Art Nouveau GEMS & GEMOLOGY Winter 1986

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