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The 1940s began with a flurry of challenges brought on by the onset of World War II in 1939 and a decade of dealing with the Great Depression. The jewellery of the era reflected the spirit of resilience and hope for a new future, creating unique and iconic designs which had never been seen before. The 1940s began with a flurry of challenges brought on by the onset of World War II in 1939 and a decade of dealing with the Great Depression. The jewellery of the era reflected the spirit of resilience and hope for a new future, creating unique and iconic designs which had never been seen before.
Design Period
A New Style for a New Era
The emphasis of the 1940’s saw a move away from the contrasting geometric shapes of Art Deco and a desire for bold, brave colour choices and large pieces of every kind of jewellery. The age of the cocktail party was on its way and the jewellery was to reflect this for the next two decades.
Rings were large and impressive, with sculptural and three-dimensional designs incorporating ribbons, bows and fabric-like folds. Thes bold, flowing styles were popular and channel and pavé settings added colour with smaller pavé set diamonds giving the illusion of grandeur. Natural gemstones were in short supply during and after the war as supply routes had become disrupted, with jewellers turning to both synthetic gems and a multitude of semi-precious stones to achieve these impressively large pieces. Citrine, amethyst, aquamarine, peridot, tourmaline, and topaz are just some of the gems which feature in 1940’s jewellery, many sourced from recently discovered Brazilian deposits in the 1930s.
£6,100
£31,900
A Shift in Precious Metals
Much of the platinum, along with a great deal of gold and silver was in scarce supply as it was highly restricted after being declared a government resource due to its use in the war effort. During both WWI and WWII, platinum was deemed a strategic metal used for rifle and engine parts, explosives and the making of armaments. As a result, we see an increase in use of palladium in jewellery, starting in 1939 and predominantly in America. Part of the platinum group of metals, which includes platinum, rhodium, and iridium, palladium had been used throughout the 1930s as a (then cheaper) alternative to platinum.
Coloured golds which involved a higher level of other alloys, such as copper in rose gold, were typical due to the scarcity of gold. Sometimes combined in bi-coloured or tri-coloured pieces, gold was back after several decades of white metal dominance. Whilst the three-dimensional shapes were popular, the crafting of these pieces had evolved due to the wider social context. Gold pieces were made hollow from sheets of metal, rather than solid, again to combat the scarcity of precious metals. This resulted in more light-weight pieces.
Investment Opportunities
As with any socio-economic disaster there was a lack of confidence in the stability of paper money, and people were looking for alternatives to invest in, which included precious metal and gemstones. However, as these were scarce, the market for second hand jewellery flourished as this was the only source.
An Era of Innovation
With both the Great Depression, and prohibition lifting within the United States, jewellers took it upon themselves to create a ring to match these exciting times! American firms such as Raymond Yard Inc., Seaman Schepps, Oscar Heyman, and Tiffany & Co., were the ultimate in high end fashion and all took up this challenge. Even top European jewellery firms, such as Mauboussin, were teaming up with American firms to get a slice of the action, bringing the trend back to Europe.
New innovations were created to enable ever more unique and incredible designs to manifest, which included the perfection of the invisible setting by Van Cleef & Arpels. This style of setting consisted of gemstones that were calibrated to very close tolerances and cut with grooved girdles that were locked into a thin wire framework. This allowed large areas of the piece to be covered seamlessly with gems in an unbroken display of colour.
£4,900
£4,400
£26,200
£9,500
£3,450
Other famous jewels from this era consisted of more unusual materials, such as Seaman Schepps’ use of rock crystal and wood to create fine jewels which were coveted by the likes of Andy Warhol, The Duchess of Windsor and members of the Rockefeller family.
1940’s Jewels at Berganza
If you are inspired by the innovative spirit of 1940s jewellery, visit Berganza’s collection today to view an array of spectacular pieces. Whether you are in search of bold, colourful earrings, an elegant diamond engagement ring or a sculptural cocktail ring, the ingenuity of mankind is never far from the surface!
Art Deco
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