Antique French Art Deco Earrings, c. 1925

Antique Art Deco Earrings, c. 1925
France
sterling silver
2.5” long x 1” wide

Purchased by Cecily Quintana, owner of Quintana Galleries, in the Les Puces de Saint Ouen in the early 2000’s. These earrings were originally clip-on and were converted to posts by Maloy’s Jewelry, Portland, OR.

The flamboyant and dazzlingly bold style of Art Deco jewelry perfectly reflects an era that refused to look back, only forward. This era received its moniker from the Exposition International des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, held in Paris in 1925, which was largely dedicated to the jewelry arts. Emphasis was placed on the association of art and modern industry. Inspiration for this style was as far-reaching as Oriental, African and South American Art and as varied as Cubism and Fauvism, both popular movements at the time. 

The term “Cubism” was often used to describe jewelry of this era because of the angles, geometric lines and figurative representations used in its execution. A desire to eliminate the flowing lines of Art Nouveau and distill designs to their rudimentary geometric essence, thus eliminating seemingly unnecessary ornament, resulted in the cleaner and more rigid lines employed in Art Deco jewelry. A look forward toward modernism and the machine age also featured prominently at this juncture in jewelry history.