Animal Planet

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on Thursday, we wanted to start off the week by discussing the theme of nature in jewelry. The trend of animal jewelry has always been popular, but it really caught on around the turn of the 20th century. It’s easy to see how playful little creatures on pins captured the hearts of jewelry-lovers. At CIRCA, we purchase cute little pieces like these frogs almost daily and we can’t get enough of them.

In the late 1800’s through the early 1900’s there were frogs, bees, lizards, bunnies and butterflies popping up everywhere. Diamond brooches were made to resemble small creatures, usually with a hint of color for detail. In the case of these frogs, the eyes are made of demantoid garnets, which are known for their vibrant green color.

Animal brooches made yet another stylistic comeback in the 1950s in a bolder fashion with large semiprecious stones and even 3-dimensional subject matter, much like this coral and turquoise bird. Animal themes have always been a favorite for some of the greatest jewelry designers such as Raymond Yard, Jean Schlumberger, Donald Claflin, David Webb and Cartier with its “Great Cat” series.  Collectors are often charmed by the character and lighthearted nature of this type of jewelry. Print this post