Art Nouveau Jewelry – A Brief History

The Art Nouveau period was one of the more short-lived eras of jewelry design, ranging from the late 1800’s (1895) to the early 1900’s (1910), coming in at the very end of the Victorian jewelry era. This was around the time when mass manufacturing first started, right before the first World War. Nature and women were the focus of this distinctive jewelry that was crafted in France, and only select members of society wore jewelry that was considered Art Nouveau.

This piece will provide you with a general idea of what Art Nouveau (“New Art” in French) tended to look like:

Unfortunately, as you can see, most of the pieces that were crafted in this period were a bit “over-the-top”, and this is exactly why this jewelry design era did not last very long. Additionally, the onset of WWI led into the Edwardian jewelry era, cutting the Art Nouveau era short. In jewelry era timelines, the Art Nouveau jewelry era overlaps both the Victorian era and the Edwardian era, making it an awkward part of jewelry history.

Currently, we have jewelry that is referred to as Art Deco. These Ralph Lauren Art Deco earrings give you an idea of how the word “Art” in jewelry design has changed:

Ralph Lauren also has a similar Art Deco ring:

As you can see, both types of “Art” jewelry designs are particularly different and can be easily determined just by looking at them. The Art Nouveau jewelry may have had a short-lived time frame, but you can still find pieces from that era. Normally, if there are elements of nature and women, you will find that it came from the Art Nouveau era. Happy hunting!