Aluminum Jewelry in Fashion: Giorgio Sant’ Angelo

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.