Cyber Monday At The Jewelry Stylist Everyone loves a sale and we do too! Please join us as a small business in promoting our 20% off all non-sale items with coupon code: cybermonjewels2014 this Monday, Dec. 1, 2014. We are also proud to say that the book titled, The Napier Co.: Defining 20th Century […]
In the 1920s, American women were enthralled by the sophisticated designs that emerged from Europe. Europe, and in particular Paris, France, was the epicenter of all that represented fashion. Consumers were hungry for the latest styles both in clothing and jewelry. It was a time when American fashion industries, including jewelry manufacturers, all bustled to […]
The Sleeveless Dress The sleeveless dress, deemed the “little nothing dress,” of the early sixties called for jewelry to adorn the arms and ears of women. Both tailored and glittery jewelry fashions were presented in the collections of Coro, Trifari and Napier. The Fingerless Glove Ever wonder why you have a pair of evening gloves […]
Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Co. of Hartford Conn. began to manufacture synthetic (plastic) stones to fill the stone shortage brought on by the war in 1939. Does anyone have any examples of “Coltstones” they’d have or would like to share? I’m most curious about this product? Write me if you have any examples.
Jewelry made of aluminum was not as common in 1968 but was a metal of choice for some designers such as Giorgio Sant’ Angelo. Paco Rabanne used the metal in his dress designs as a “fabric” in 1969. Jewelry made of aluminum was predominately made from the 1930s to 1950s, albeit it was still a metal sought by some jewelry designers because of its malleable nature and the ability to color the metal. Although a greater amount of aluminum jewelry was manufactured from the 1930s to the 1950s, it continues to be use as a medium by designers.
Giorgio di Sant’ Angelo Aluminum Jewelry. Image credit Conde Nast.
Eloxal (electrolytic oxidation of aluminum) jewelry was made mostly from the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s. Eloxal jewelry can be found marked Germany or W. Germany and is among the collectible genre of aluminum jewelry.
Jewelry made of aluminum is sleek, sturdy, highly reflective and lightweight. It was a metal of choice for some couture designers because of these properties and it fit nicely into the Space-age, geometric shapes and designs that were relevant to the pop culture of the time. Sant’ Angelo also used this metal and juxtaposed dangling fruit as an additional adornment to his sleek jewelry to compliment the rich colors of his fashions.
Designing complementing pieces for a collection were not uncommon for jewelry designers. Generally, one “museum piece” would be designed, and other pieces were designed around the piece of center focus.
Body jewelry was very popular during the 1960s and the pieces shown speak to that fashion phenomenon. Jewelry was worn like it was a piece of clothing and many fashion designers were also in the business of jewelry design. The jewelry shown most likely was commissioned by Diana Vreeland the editor-in-chief of Vogue or Sant’ Angelo could have fashioned it “on the spot” as he was noted for doing during the infamous Sedona, Arizona fashion shoot later that year for Vogue that launch his career into fashion and jewelry design.
Here you will find jewelry terms as they appears in vintage articles discovered through the research of jewelry historian Melinda Lewis. This will be an on-going list. L’art nouveau, The New York Times, 1900 “’L’art nouveau’ as applied to jewelry is after the style of Lalique, the Frenchman who has made the many curious designs […]
Vintage Costume Jewelry is beloved of collectors both for the beauty of its art form and how it connects us to our past. For many, Vintage costume jewelry is an essential piece of our style. As an accessory, a beautiful piece of costume jewelry can make our outfit pop! Or, we might choose our outfit […]
