Chinoiserie

With the end of First World War, people were starved for new, innovative designs. Styles ran the gamut across eras and cultures. In the jewelry world, the Art Deco Period saw the emergence of many non-western inspirations, in particular from the Far East. Chinese themes began to influence design houses around 1923, the year of the Paris Opera Chinese Ball. Elegant, fashionable women in both the US and Europe were drawn to the exotic Chinese culture and were enticed by jewels and objects bearing Chinese-influenced imagery and whimsical contrasts of scale. Enamel, coral, onyx and jade were popularized, and designers incorporated several of the materials into one piece to produce striking and original decorative effects.

CIRCA on More Reinvention TV

CIRCA was featured on More Reinvention TV- the segment aired this past weekend on ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox. Check out how fashion and luxury can be recycled and just how CIRCA works!

A Spelunker

The Rolex Explorer II was first introduced in 1971, as the premier timepiece featuring a complication with the ability to account for a 24-hour time period. This attribute was created for spelunkers, or cave explorers, providing a day/night reference for long periods of time in darkness.

The stainless steel watch photographed here is an Explorer II with original reference number 1655, circa mid to late 1970’s. The oversized bright orange additional hour hand and the 24-hour fixed bezel are the two distinguishing features of this model, giving it the ability to inform its user whether the 3 on the dial is for 3am or 3pm. In this particular example, the second hand has a luminous circle accent that was only added to the models manufactured after the year 1975.

No Ugly Duckling

The Art Nouveau period (1890s - 1910) produced some of the most evocative pieces in the history of jewelry design. Central to the movement was an embrace of romanticism, naturalism and femininity. The use of flowing, curvilinear lines with attention to balance and symmetry is of paramount importance within Art Nouveau pieces – both in jewelry and other forms of art.

Farewell to Loulou

New York was gorgeously warm and sunny today, but I chose to wear my favorite Yves St Laurent black dress to mark the passing of Loulou de la Falaise. Although she was always closely associated with YSL as his muse and inspiration, she had a style all her own.

Fashion Over Function

Although women try to balance function with style when we accessorize, function seems to have won out in the purse and handbag category. This is especially evident when compared with the way women used to carry their necessities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. For an elegant lady of that period, every accessory was part of her ensemble and had to measure up to the standard of the jewelry that she wore. In fact, in many cases a handbag, coin purse, compact or lipstick case was itself capable of being the center of attention.

Exception to the Rule

As we have discussed in previous posts, the most identifiable characteristic of Edwardian jewelry (1901-1920) is its lace-like garland style. This effect is created in delicate filigree of white diamonds and platinum. There are some exceptions to this rule, however, like this stunning Edwardian pin, circa 1910. Although small in stature - standing at just an inch and a half in height – this piece has more heft than its delicate Edwardian counterparts. The garland style is captured in the bow, but the geometric pattern of the wreath itself seems to be an early hint at the Art Deco movement which followed just a short time later (1918-1938).