Jewelry of the Art Nouveau Period (1895-1910)

Jewelry makers of the Art Nouveau period strived to capture the movement of nature in wearable works of art. The jewelry designs seemed to come straight from paintings or the natural environment.

Notable Characteristics of Art Nouveau Jewelry

Fluid lines and asymmetrical patterns were common motifs. Female forms and nature scenes, including flowers, insects, lizards, and snakes, often graced jewelry pieces from this period. Jewelry makers commonly used gold, silver, and platinum.

Enameling dominated Belle Époque jewelry of the Art Nouveau. Methods used included the following:

Plique-a-jour enameling (used extensively by Art Nouveau designer Rene Lalique) was similar to stained glass windows, with the enameling webbed between thin metal walls with no backing.

Cloisonné enameling had metal walls and a backing to contain the enameling.

Basse-taille enameling involved depressions hollowed out in the metal with the enameling filling the entire piece.

The gem materials most popular during the Art Nouveau were amber, celluloid (plastic), chrysoberyl, crystal glass, demantoid garnet, horn, malachite, moonstone, opal, tortoise shell, and tourmaline.