La Belle Epoque (c.1890-1914)

Heritage and Innovation, Garland Style and Art Nouveau
The Belle Époque (la Belle Époque) historically refers to a period of progress, prosperity, peace and wealth in European society from the end of the 19th century to before the First World War. The technological achievements of the second industrial revolution brought electric lights, telephones, and phonographs into daily life. Automobiles began to run on the streets. Watching operas and attending dances were still exciting. Watching movies and visiting department stores had also become fashionable new leisure activities. The beginnings of the Belle Époque, depending on the subject explored, 1870s, 80s and 90s are all supported. But generally speaking, it fit the atmosphere of the old and new at the end of the century, and it came to an abrupt end with the outbreak of war. The development of high end jewelry during this period has two important directions: the reinterpretation of the classic fashion a hundred years ago with exquisite platinum and diamond craftsmanship (la Belle Époque, c.1890-1914) , known as Edwardian Era (c.1901-1914) jewelry in the UK, and Art Nouveau (Art Nouveau, c.1895- 1910) inspired by the British Arts and Crafts Movement1 and Japanese printmaking jewelry.
The court of Versailles in the second half of the 19th century revitalized its once luxurious taste. At the turn of the century, ribbon bows, tassels in Rococo and Greek key, laurel leaf pattern etc. in Neoclassicism. More brilliant, emphasizing the delicate work of the Garland style, was known to later generations. High end natural pearls were still much loved. Abundant diamond deposits discovered in South Africa in the 1860s replaced the declining Brazilian mines and satisfied the world's growing thirst for diamonds. In the past, people preferred to use silver as diamond inlay, thinking that the pure brilliance of silver and white metal would be more in harmony with the diamond compared with gold. However, the silver texture was soft and easy to accelerate its oxidation when it touched the skin. Then, the fabric was stained with sweat. Therefore, craftsmen often covered silver on the karat gold to form a thick setting. In the early 20th century, metal processing technology became more mature. This combination was replaced by platinum which was only occasionally used in jewelry making in the past. Platinum not only has stable chemical properties, but also superior strength and hardness, which can minimize the volume of the setting. It could withstand the craftsmen's delicate garland leaf pattern, hollowing, woven mesh (résille) shape and millegraining, inlay, etc., making jewelry more delicate and light in wearing and look. Platinum also became the primary metal for Belle Époque and later Art Deco jewelry in the early 20th century.



When both the traditional royal palace aristocracy and the emerging bourgeois class were addicted to the peerless elegance of bright silver jewelry of the Belle Époque, Art Nouveau jewelry, which also belongs to the Belle Époque period, also emerged from innovation by a group of talented artists, designers and fashion pioneers who were eager to change. They revealed a new aesthetic standard and opened up a new world for jewelry design with incomparable enthusiasm.
Art Nouveau is an all-encompassing art movement covering all aspects of design. In 1985, The gallery called Maison de l’Art Nouveau opened in Paris, bringing together almost all the famous works that formed the core of the Art Nouveau movement. A new style was officially born. In the field of jewelry, compared to the classic elegance and luxury of Belle Époque style, Art Nouveau is colorful and lively. It included the sun, moon and stars, flowers and vines, insects and snakes in nature, and rare birds and animals in mythology. It transformed into complex, tortuous and fluid stylized lines. In addition to paying attention to the symbolic meaning of animals and plants throughout the 19th century, people also paid more attention to the expressiveness and tension of styles. At this time, women's posture was also truly freed from constraints, and independently became the subject matter that jewelry artists wanted to show. It was often imaginatively merged with natural elements such as flowers and insect wings. In terms of the choice of media, gold and silver were used to create a soft and stretchable shape, combined with gorgeous enamel craftsmanship. Especially the transparent enamel (Plique à jour) like the window of light, inlaid with all kinds of precious stones and semi-precious stones, the phantom and soft eggs, moonlight, etc. were very consistent with the temperament of Art Nouveau jewelry. Gentle luster animal materials such as mother-of-pearl, ivory, and horns were also widely adopted. With ingenuity and precision, the masters created masterpieces that were incredibly beautiful, full of vitality, and full of emotional energy.


The images used in this article are from published books and public information on the Internet. If your rights are violated, please contact us.