Publics attitude affects jewelry design trends
By Erlien Yudianti S.
JAKARTA (JP): Diamonds, precious stones derived from the innermost sanctum of the earth and invaluable because of their scarcity and strength, remind us of the beautiful and luxurious jewelry worn by princesses and kings. The brilliance of the precious stone, unchallenged by other gems, becomes all the more special the moment it is set in platinum, gold or silver. Jewelry studded with diamonds become a valuable object and imparts pride upon its wearer.
Diamonds' enthralling beauty and brilliance are also of intrinsic value. Classic diamond and gold jewelry has become a medium of showing off one's riches.
Because of diamonds' value, jewelers opt for classic and safe settings, copying styles and settings which have been proven to sell.
These now classic settings first appeared among the European nobility in the 19th century.
Diamonds set in gold, silver and platinum are closely related to jewelry designers of the houses of Faberge, Lalique, Cartier, Tiffany, Boucheron and Bulgari. Some of these firms started business when the aristocracy ruled.
Carl Faberge (1846-1920), a Russian jewelry designer, was renowned for his artistic and imaginative creations in gold enameling of gemstones. He is best known for his jeweled eggs made in 1884, as Easter gifts from the Tsar to the Tsarina. Houses of Faberge were opened in London and elsewhere, and the business grew to employ over 500 craftsmen. The factory closed after the 1918 Revolution in Russia.
Cartier and Boucheron started business in 1847 and 1858 respectively. Both gained a reputation for distinctive abstract creations.
Tiffany, the leading American jeweler, was founded in New York City in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany (1812-1902). In 1850 it introduced the English Sterling Silver standard which was later legalized for American Sterling silverware. In 1886 Tiffany introduced the Tiffany setting for solitaire diamond rings.
Until the 20th century, precious or semi-precious jewelry was of considerable influence in creating an image for its wearers; it was a means to exhibit social rank in public. Diamond wearing women behaved as if they were social representatives of their spouses' economic status.
Houses with such names as Van Cleef & Arpel, Boucheron and Cartier fulfilled the demand for diamond jewelry and developed today's classics.
New styles
Even though classic styles will continue to be crafted, new settings are drawing great interest. The curiosity has led to trend adjustments and fashion changes. This changing public attitude towards the art of jewelry in turn leads to design developments.
Industrialization and technological advancement has made mass production of jewelry possible. Production costs are much cheaper, and the market therefore much larger. Today, possession of jewelry isn't only for the very privileged few. This has influenced jewelry designs. Opportunities for experimenting with materials, like aluminum and plastic, are widening for artists.
The artists' creative powers, finding expression in explorations and expertise in material combinations, are impacting on jewelry designs. A piece of jewelry is no longer merely a combination of expensive materials. Diamonds do not necessarily have to be mounted in gold or silver.
Caroline Pullee explained in her book 20th Century Jewelry that two reasons the public's perception of jewelry changed in the 20th century was technological advancement of media information and the downfall of the aristocracy and expansion of the middle class.
Modern media allows new ideas to be instantly accessible. The demand for new items allows designs to develop faster than before.
The periods of Art Nouveau (1895-1918) and Art Deco (1919- 1930) were the forerunners of change in these types of jewelry design. The Art Nouveau period was a period that bridged the old and new centuries. Art Nouveau concentrated on the rich treatment of surface decoration. It was a style that was applied to everything, from fine art to architecture and interior design. The main characteristic of Art Nouveau is a tendency to asymmetry, producing a sense of instability highlighted through the use of whiplash curve and tendrils.
In jewelry design, its style led to a move away from precious materials and towards non-precious compositions, particularly in bronze, glass, mother-of-pearl and ivory.
Rene Lalique was an outstanding jewelry artist of the Art Nouveau period. He combined diamonds with tourmaline (a gemstone that has a complicated and very varied chemical composition which, rather than internal impurities, accounts for its being found in a wide range of colors) and enameling.
After this combination, diamond jewelry left its tried and trusted form. Even if still recognized as the most expensive gem, the diamond is now shown in combination with natural elements like seashells -- as in the work of Fulco di Vendura, an Italian artist of jewelry design who moved to Paris in 1926 and worked for Coco Chanel.
Andrew Grima, a British jeweler who started his career in the post-war period, was the first jeweler to break the disciplined and restrained lines in jewelry design.
The jewelry can also be appear as "scrap iron," as can be noted in the work of the American jeweler artist Carrie Adell, entitled Sediments: No Deposit, No Return. Jewelry from De Beers is composed of ivory, gold and diamonds.
In Indonesia, combinations of diamonds with non-precious materials, date back to antiquity. The sword of the King of Madura, found in the diamond collection at the National Museum, is made of silver, black leather and is dotted with diamonds. A mask from the Kutai Kingdom has teeth adorned with diamonds.
This sword and mask prove that our forefathers were familiar with combinations of diamonds and non-precious materials, resulting in eternal pieces of art. Indonesia needs designers who country who can match the creations of the Martapura by utilizing the style of today. In turn, this skill can later be passed on to our sons and daughters.