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by LYNN MORGAN

REVIVALRETRO

“Retro” jewelry can be an elusive concept. First coined in the

1970s by jewelry historian Francois Curiel, the term covers a

dazzling array of styles spread across several historic eras.

“It’s become a catch-all phrase for any jewelry created

between the late 1930s and 1950s,” explains dealer Audrey

Friedman of New York’s Primavera Gallery, “even though there

are a lot of stylistic diff erences over such a long period.”

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Retro jewelry can be divided into three distinct periods: Modernism, the outgrowth of Art Deco; wartime austerity; and post-war celebration. Each period vividly embodies and evokes its own historic and cultural moment.

For many collectors, the defi nitive Retro look is a bold, sinuous piece in highly pol-ished yellow or rose gold, centered with a massive colored stone: aquamarine, amethyst, or citrine. If diamonds, rubies, or sapphires were part of the design then they were gener-ally small and relegated to a supporting role as highlight stones. The design and the drama came from the sculptural settings and the monumental gemstones. “By the late thir-

ties, most of the skilled artisans in Europe were drafted into their nation’s armies, and the talent pool for fi ne jewelry makers was severely diminished,” explains Judith Price, the director of the National Jewelry Institute and author of Masterpieces of American Jewelry. She adds, “The craftspeople weren’t available to make intricate, complicated pieces, and the materials weren’t available. Platinum was being diverted to the war effort and many gems weren’t available due to the war. Jewelers had to improvise.” Price notes “The forties were about limited resources. They had to use color to create excitement: the big, bold stones, the highly polished gold. Jewelers

were very clever.” The post-war years of the late forties and into the fi fties saw a return to opulence and luxury. Once again, extrava-gance and femininity defi ned both fashion and jewelry, and joyous motifs of fl owers, butterfl ies, and ballerinas in gold, diamonds, and precious gems became popular.

Among the most recognizable styles of the late 1930s and early 1940s were the yellow gold bracelets of bold, geometric links or chain mesh, fi nished with a buckle-style clasp, inspired by Victorian garter belts. This “statement” jewelry was designed by houses like Cartier, Mauboussin, Verdura, Boivin, Boucheron, and Seaman Schepps. It was

Pair of clip-brooches in 18-karat gold, citrine, sapphires and diamonds, circa late 1930s to early 1940s, by Marchak, Paris. Courtesy, Primavera Gallery.

Feather brooch, citrine and yellow gold, 1940s, by JE Caldwell of Philadelphia. Courtesy, Pat Saling.

PREVIOUS PAGE:Aquamarine and diamond parure comprising a necklace, bracelet, and clip brooch, the necklace designed as a pink and yellow gold foliate motif bordered by rows of oval-shaped aquamarines and by additional gold leaves; the bracelet and clip of similar design formed of yellow gold leaf motifs and oval-shaped aquamarines all enhanced with rows of brilliant-cut diamond. Circa 1935, by Boucheron. Courtesy, Hancocks.

This magnifi cent suite was originally the property of Oscar winning actress Joan Crawford, who became an avid collector of fi ne jewelry. She wore this suite of necklace, bracelet, and brooch in the 1939 fi lm “The Women,” and it is often described as Crawford’s favorite piece of jewelry. The suite was acquired by Andy Warhol from a sale of Joan Crawford’s possessions on January 18th 1978 in New York. It was then sold Sotheby’s New York, December 1988, lot 2098, in “The Andy Warhol Sale.”

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Cabochon turquoise and pavé diamond ring, circa 1940, by Cartier. Courtesy, Sandra Cronan, Ltd.

Platinum ring featuring invisibly set rubies and diamonds by Tiff any & Co. The center of the ring features 66 invisibly set rubies surrounded by 22 baguette cut diamonds, and 32 round cut diamonds. Circa 1940s and signed, Tiff any & Co. Courtesy, Macklowe Gallery.

A pair of diamond, ruby and gold “Sign Language” brooches, circa 1940, by Paul Flato. Courtesy, Vendome.

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frequently seen on some of the world’s most glamorous women, including fi lm stars like Merle Oberon and the Duchess of Windsor.

During the golden age of Hollywood in the late 1930s and 1940s, stars were among the big-gest and most visible clients for the Retro jew-elry. It was a perfect match. Actresses needed jewelry that was highly photogenic, impactful, and larger-than-life, like their studio-crafted screen personas. Stars often wore their own jewelry on screen and there was no small amount of professional competition over whose jewels was the fi nest. Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Paulette Goddard, Rita Hayworth, and Joan Crawford were all well-known for their beautiful collections of jewelry.

It wasn’t just women who wore Retro jewelry. Paul Flato (1900–1999), one of Hollywood’s most popular jewelers was known for the pieces he created for dapper

gentlemen during the heyday of his career in the late 1930s to 1943: his cuffl inks, shirt studs, and cigarette cases of impeccable ele-gance were worn and carried by some of Hollywood’s most powerful moguls and lead-ing men, including Gary Cooper, Fred Astaire, and Cary Grant. It was an era of tremendous style and glamour.

“Flato was infl uenced by Surrealism,” says Elizabeth Irvine Bray, the author of Paul Flato Jeweler to the Stars. “He designed a pair of ‘foot’ cuffl inks for the Hollywood costume designer Adrian [Adrian Adolph Greenberg], and his ‘nuts and bolts’ cuffl inks of the 1930s, originally designed for society band leader Peter Duchine, became one of his most widely copied designs; you can still see ver-sions of them today.” Bray adds, “He made ‘sign language’ brooches for women; hands, in gold, with enamel or ruby fi ngernails,

making the sign language gestures for ini-tials. They were hugely popular: Katharine Hepburn wore them in ‘Holiday.’”

Among his witty designs was a brooch Flato made for actress Marlene Dietrich. “She fell on the set of ‘The Lady is Willing’ [1942] and broke her leg,” Elizabeth Bray explains. “The cast and crew commissioned a brooch from Flato: a pair of legs, in gold, with ruby toenails, and one of them is set in a cast!”

The power of Retro jewelry was its initial visual impact rather than its use of rare mate-rials, a result of the restraints from World War II (1939–1945). Luxury industries in general, and fi ne jewelry in particular, were transformed. There was an unavailability of diamonds and exotic gemstones, and many of jewelry’s traditional raw materials like gold and platinum were diverted to a more brutal yet vital purpose.

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Patriotic themes became popular—red, white, and blue were prominent colors—and military images of airplanes and medals were frequently seen. Women wore bracelets with each charm representing a husband, a son, or brother fi ghting the war. Paris-based jeweler Mauboussin created a “Jeep” brooch in gold, brilliants, and a cabochon ruby to celebrate the liberation of Paris.

After the war, a new style blossomed. In 1947, Christian Dior introduced his electrify-ing “New Look” collection and the era of wartime restraint, rationing, and self-depriva-tion was over. A new lushness and opulence entered fashion, and a new affl uence and sophistication entered society. Travel became easier and more accessible, and Europeans and Americans had more exposure to one another, with infl uences and ideas crossing the Atlantic faster than ever before. Weary of the war, there was a universal craving for comfort, luxury, and leisure. The military-infl uenced, strict, even parsimonious tailor-ing required by wartime fabric rationing was replaced by a joyous celebration of softness and femininity. Tiny waists and generous décolletage were accentuated by sweetheart necklines and billowing skirts and crinolines. Silk was no longer reserved for parachutes; it could be layered lavishly on dresses that were meant, in Christian Dior’s words “to make women look like fl owers.”

It was the era of the cocktail party, and jewelry design followed the prevailing mood in fashion and culture. It became softer, more romantic, more feminine and more hopeful than it had been during the Depression and the war years. American Retro jewelry exhib-ited playfulness in this era that is utterly charming: sea shells, birds, and hearts were

THIS PAGE, TOP:“Dauphins” brooch, 18-karat gold, the bodies set with diamonds and sapphires, circa 1957, by Rene Boivin, Paris. Courtesy of Primavera Gallery.

THIS PAGE, BOTTOM:Fantastic pair of platinum and white gold earclips each designed as a pavé-diamond and calibré-cut aquamarine scroll Suzanne Belperron, Paris circa 1945. Previously property of heiress and philanthropist Doris Duke whose life was brought to screen in the 2007 fi lm 'Bernard and Doris' staring Susan Sarandon and Ralph Fiennes. Courtesy, Hancocks.

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recurring motifs: peaceful, lighthearted images meant to counter the recent horrors of the war. European designers like Rene Boivin, Verdura, and Jean Schlumberger explored mythological images like unicorns, mer-maids, phoenixes, and winged horses in gold, enamel, and precious stones, and Van Cleef & Arpels introduced their famous jeweled “ballerina” brooches. Realistic depictions of animals were also popular, and chic lapels were frequently adored with gorgeous jeweled menageries of birds and beasts.

One of the most famous of these natural-ist jewels was the Cartier “Panther” brooch, designed for the Duchess of Windsor in

THIS PAGE, UPPER LEFT:18-karat yellow gold and diamond necklace, Mauboussin, circa 1940s. Courtesy, Fred Leighton.

THIS PAGE, LOWER LEFT:Turquoise necklace in 18-karat yellow gold, diamond, and citrine, circa 1952, by Cartier, France. Courtesy, Camilla Dietz Bergeron.

THIS PAGE, INSET:Coral, emerald, diamond and gold love bird brooch by Cartier made 1950. The brooch is marked with French Assay Mark, signed and numbered. Courtesy, L'Etoile Royale.

1948. It featured a gold panther with black enamel spots, reclining, majestically on a “rock”— a 90-karat, cabochon emerald. It created a world-wide sensation, and made the

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An important 18-karat yellow gold and diamond retro necklace by Cartier, circa 1950. Courtesy, Fred Leighton.

THIS PAGE, BELOW:Citrine, amethyst and diamond cuff bracelet by Trabert & Hoeff er-Mauboussin, circa 1940s. Courtesy, Fred Leighton.

“Panther” one of Cartier’s signature motifs. It joined the earlier “Pink Flamingo” brooch created by Jean Toussaint in gold, caliber emeralds, sapphires, and rubies as one of the most recognizable and widely imi-tated jewels of all time.

There was a huge demand for glamorous jeweled objects: powder compacts, cigarette lights and cases, evening bags, and lipstick cases. Cocktail parties and balls were revived and women wore sweeping gowns by Marcel Rochas, Norman Hartnell, Jacques Fath, Dior, and Balenciaga, and their low necklines—paired with the upswept hairstyles of the day—left vast expanses of lovely necks and seductive cleavage to be adorned with ornate necklaces and Seaman Schepps cluster ear clips, an innovative style that heaped together lavish mounds of cabochons of colored stones.

The late 1940s and early 1950s saw a lot of experimentation in jewelry. Artists like Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, and Tony Duquette all

explored jewelry design, with Duquette creat-ing pieces for the Duchess of Windsor.

Retro jewelry in all its manifestations fell out of favor in the 1960s and 1970s and, unfortunately, a lot of examples were broken up and melted down to recycle the metal and reclaim the stones for use in new designs. It wasn’t until the 1980s that Retro jewelry began to attract a new generation of passion-ate collectors.

Artist Andy Warhol was one of the fi rst new collectors to recognize the distinctiveness of Retro jewelry, and he built an impressive collection. “In the Eighties, I bought a Retro style bracelet: a heavy gold setting, with a huge citrine,” recalls Audrey Friedman. “One of our associates, a lovely young woman from a very good family looked at it and said, ‘that’s one of the ugliest things I have ever seen!’ A short time later, Andy came in and bought it, caus-ing no small amount of embarrassment!”

The historic sale of the Duchess of Windsor’s jewels, in 1987, and a year later, the Warhol estate sale brought Retro jewelry into the headlines and back into fashion. Today, it still attracts collectors who appreci-ate its bold and fearless designs.

“It’s coming out of the closets and the family safes,” says Judith Price. “People are taking a close look at their mother’s and grandmother’s jewelry and realizing its value and beauty.” She adds, “You can’t make jew-elry like this anymore.”