10 Famous Jewellers of the 1920s

It was the Jazz Age of the 1920s, an era that heralded the beginnings of conscious awareness of unconventional costume jewellery. During this time, the Art Deco movement also made an impression on jewellers. Jewellery designs were influenced by events like the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb, African art, and the Avant-Garde art movement. They were largely accepted by the flapper generation who frequently wore Art Deco-inspired jewellery and dazzling clothing. 

To this swinging generation, it was all about femininity and accessorizing, and the movement provided design inspiration for these. Jewelry, they say, was meant to capture the eye and command attention.


The style was characterized by bold colour contrasts, geometrics, clean lines, and stylized motifs. There were long strands of pearls, brooches, strings of round beads, ornate bangles and wide embellished bracelets, earrings with tassels, and loop necklaces.

Today, early 20th-century art deco-inspired costume jewellery still remains incredibly popular.


Some Famous Jewelry Designers of the Twenties


While some of the jewellers mentioned below have been known for their designs before the roaring twenties, many were at their peak during this era and made their mark in the jewellery design business. Their names still resonate among jewellery makers and collectors of vintage jewellery.

The following are jewellery designers (in no particular order) famous for their creations.


Frédéric Boucheron


His jewellery pieces are works of art and were designed to fit the reigning Art Deco designs of the 1920s. Before then, in the late 19th century, Boucheron was considered the pioneer of “modern jewellery” who revived an engraving technique that had been forgotten since ancient times. He soon became famous for the extraordinary designs and quality of his precious stones which included diamonds engraved with flowers or arabesques, and colourful gemstones (sapphires, rubies, lapis lazuli, coral, hematite, onyx, emeralds, and rock crystal) encircled with geometrically arranged diamonds.

Boucheron jewellery designers and makers enjoy the patronage of royal families and the custom of Hollywood icons like Dietrich, Garbo, and Rita Hayworth.


Mario Buccellati

In 1919, Mario Buccellati, also known as “The Prince of Goldsmiths”, acquired the family jewellery company and renamed it “Buccellati”. He was a famous jeweller who marketed his creations through exhibitions that helped him meet and make customers of affluent clients from all over. Mario Buccellati was so well patronized, he opened many branches around the world. 

His jewellery designs featured elaborate gemstone works suggestive of the Art Nouveau and Old Hollywood eras. They highlight animal and insect forms, created out of pearls. He is also famous for his “gold jewellery and exquisite silver objects” and the combinations of precious metals (silver & gold, and platinum & gold).


Coco Chanel


Chanel’s jewelry designs may have been considered innovative in the 1920s, but the works were revolutionary, radical, and bold, a new style that consisted of high-end components combined with lower-priced materials. Before that time, wearing costume accessories was considered a fashion faux pas because they were perceived as cheap and belonging to women who couldn’t afford genuine pieces. Unperturbed by the opinion of the status quo, she developed her radical design concept of mixing gems and other precious stones with faux ones. The results and responses were brilliant.

Piling bracelets and bangles, stacking faux pearl necklaces, layering an unprecedented number of brooches, and adorning cuff bracelets; fashionistas were awed by this expressive and playful new look. Coco Chanel’s awesome combinations were and still are what costume jewellery is all about. Each piece she crafted was the signature finishing touch; a perfect complement to the already dazzling outfits of the flapper generation of the twenties.


Elsa Schiaparelli


After moving to Paris in the 1920s and establishing a Fashion House in the late 20s, Schiaparelli began making costume jewellery along with her other lines of clothing, perfume and other fashion accessories. She believed that costume jewellery was a vital part of fashion and style, an art form in its own right. Her early works are often portrayed as whimsical, glamorous, and extremely stylized.

Elsa Schiaparelli believed that costume jewellery was an integral part of fashion design as well as an art form in its own right. Elsa’s jewellery was whimsical, imaginative, and innovative often made with bright, colourful glass stones. Many of her designs are inspired by nature, the circus, astrology, and native African art.


Gerard Sandoz

One of the most famous jewellers of the 1920s, Sandoz was well known for his elaborate geometric designs. His bold and dramatic creations made him recognized as one of the forerunners of the Art Deco style of jewellery. Being an artist, he incorporated his bold and strong artistic styles into his jewellery, making each piece a beautiful work of art. In many of his popular works, Sandoz paired metals with gemstones like onyx, lapis lazuli, coral, and hematite.


Jean Dunand


Dunand was popularly known for his extensive use of lacquerware (a decorative-coating technique) in his design elements. He used it for many of his works, including vases, furniture, and most especially, costume jewellery. His creative designs of lacquerware jewellery made his creations trendy and a must-have in the twenties. Josephine Baker, one of the most popular music hall entertainers in France who took Paris by storm in the 1920s wore his famous lacquerware jewellery, a wide cuff bracelet and a circular neck collar. This stunning jewellery set designed with black, yellow, and red colours made Dunand's jewellery famous. He was also one of the forerunners of the Art Deco style.


Miriam Haskell


This American designer, Miriam Haskell, is in the top ten jewellery designers of the time. She designed costume jewellery that was affordable to 1920s women and worked in partnership with Frank Hess who was a part of the birthing of colourful jewelry designs. Frank Hess, her chief designer, was previously a young window dresser at Macy’s. Their partnership has been responsible for the finest handmade costume jewelry ever created.

Hollywood stars like Joan Crawford and Lucille Ball, and fashion-conscious women loved the unique style and characteristics of Haskell’s designs and wore her jewellery widely. Her jewellery has also appeared in films, on tv shows, and in stage plays.


Napier

Napier jewellery was the rave in the 1920s. They made pieces in Art Deco style and introduced classy and elegant designs to fashion accessories lovers. Although Napier Jewelry is no longer a top brand, its jewellery is still highly valued and sought after by vintage-inspired fashion-conscious individuals, and jewellery collectors.

The fashion industry was dominated by their eclectic bold designs which featured spectacular geometric and floral patterns made from faux gemstones, imitation pearls, glass, and plated metals. They are also recognized for their sterling silver works. Pieces were large and chunky and were a deviation from the typical designs of the time. This helped them make a positive impact on the fashion scene.

Napier was one of the first brands to make costume jewellery available and accessible to the masses.


Paul Emile Brandt

Paul-Emile Brandt was born in Switzerland but moved to Paris, France at a young age to study under Chaplain and Allard. He started his own business outfit in the 1910s, making Art Nouveau-style jewellery. After World War I, Brandt began creating jewellery in the Art Deco style. His designs are characterised by neutral palettes with white gold and diamonds, offset with onyx stone or black lacquerware.

By the 1920s, he began to work with precious stones and lacquer work. He created jewellery designs made with inlaid lacquered eggshells and brooches set with calibre emeralds in characteristic art deco styles. He describes his jewellery-making as “... jewellery of great design and great construction...”. 

By the 30s, Paul Brandt started to produce hand jewellery – bracelets, bangles, rings, and neck jewellery - necklaces and pendants that featured relief work with geometric shapes.


Tiffanys


The company was founded by Charles Lewis Tiffany in 1837. When he passed away in 1902, his son Louis Comfort Tiffany became the company’s first official jewellery design director, while Tiffanys became a design icon during the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods of the early 1900s.

Around this time, the Art Nouveau movement was gaining ground. Louis’ designs featured nature-inspired pieces in Art Nouveau’s style. His pieces of jewellery were majorly made with enamels, gemstones, and even glass. 

Soon, the Art Deco era began and saw an absolute passion for all things Tiffanys. The jewellery makers became the arbiter of fashion and style as brilliant diamonds and lustrous pearls adorned the silhouettes of Hollywood’s silver screen actors. They became the screen darlings of the Jazz era – nothing burned brighter on a black-and-white screen than Tiffany’s dazzling jewels.



Vintage-Themed Writing and Sketching Notebooks


1. Old-Fashioned Cream Paper Drawing Book

Enjoy using this 19th-century vintage-themed fashion sketchbook with illustrations of French newspapers showing fashionable Parisian women in their elaborate day dresses. It comes in a convenient square shape and consists of dot grid pages and blank drawing canvases printed on cream old-fashioned type paper.

If you are a classic fashion enthusiast, there is a possibility that you’d like this traditional look cream paper that great fashion designers of yesteryears sketched on. If you are a vintage fashion aficionado that needs a journal to write and sketch in, then this is for you. And if you are a fashion designer or fashion design student who just wants something different from the rest, this is it.



2. Roaring 20s-Inspired Lined Notebook

If you are a vintage enthusiast, you know about the Flapper generation of young women and men of the 1920s. They loved to party and listen to jazz music. They were energetic and embraced what many considered outrageous lifestyles and boldly displayed their contempt for what was acceptable behaviour of the era. Today, they are considered the first generation of independent individuals that pushed barriers to political and sensual freedom.

If you are a fan of the 1920s, you can't but love this vintage-inspired lined journal. It has images of swinging Flappers doing the Charleston dance on each lined page and colourful illustrations of men and women of the roaring twenties.



3. The 1920s Vintage-Inspired Dot-Grid Notebook

This vintage-themed dotted grid notebook depicts an era of fun-loving adults partying and dancing to the swinging jazz music of the roaring twenties. For lovers of vintage-inspired stuff, this dot-grid book, with images of Flappers doing the Charleston dance will be excellent for many uses, including journaling, writing, goals-tracking, doodling, task reminders, and poetry crafting.


4. Antique Themed Notebook

This classic-theme author’s notebook is created for beginner and budding writers and novelists who love antique-inspired writing materials. With its aged paper look, this faux worn-writing-paper comes with faint-lined inner pages similar to the paper the famous writers of old composed stories and poetry on. 

The notebook for authors, poets, and story writers features pages that come with title and date blocks and index pages for easy organizing and navigating. It will make great gifts for vintage-inspired up-and-coming writers, young novelists, play and verse writers, and poets.





Articles of Interest

7 Famous Fashion Designers of the 1920s
Vintage Fashion Quiz (with Images)

Are Jumpsuits Suitable for Weddings and Special Occasions?

Are jumpsuits suitable for special occasions like weddings? Absolutely. Women no longer HAVE TO wear a dress or gown for special events, and weddings are no exception. Consider a stylish jumpsuit as an alternative to the usual.

Jumpsuits are body-flattering. They are beautiful, comfortable, and non-restrictive, and they give you the flexibility and fluidity to move around effortlessly. Unlike most formal dresses, you do not have to give up your comfort to look chic.

For a wedding, you can easily style-up a jumpsuit to fit a dress code and make it classy. With the right accessories – heels, wraps, stoles, costume jewellery, elegant handbags, headpieces, and eye wear, your silhouette will be runway-worthy. 

Jumpsuit styles vary. They come with tapered, straight, semi-wide, wide, and ultra-wide legs. The designs range from halter-neck, strapless, and off-the-shoulder styles to jumpsuit gowns, bow-bodice suits, and tuxedo jumpsuits, all echoing popular gown details. Sleeve designs include bell, Bishop, cap, and butterfly sleeves. And the popular fabric choice for formal jumpsuits is velvet, brocade, satin, crepe, linen, and silk.

Whether you desire a sleek style, an embellished design, or something fluid and flowy, try a jumpsuit for a change.  We can’t deny the fact that a chic and elegant jumpsuit will make a welcome and refreshing change from the typical style of guest dresses everyone else is wearing.


Posts of Interest

How to Dress Vintage Chic Style in Everyday Clothes

Clothing Styles we will Hate to See Come Back

1920s Inspired Writing Journal with Images of Flapper Swingers 

Vintage-Inspired Cathedral Wedding Veils

A cathedral wedding veil is all about the length. Coming at no less than 9ft long, you will find (or can custom-make) vintage-inspired cathedral veils that come as long as 12ft. but the beauty of the veil is having a long aisle to walk down. There is not much point it wearing veils that long if you are getting married in a small chapel with a short aisle.




If you desire a regal stately look on your wedding day, the Cathedral styled veil is for you. It is a ‘super-size’ vintage-inspired headpiece that makes a bold statement and portrays a wedding that’s not only stylish but elegantly formal as well. They are great for a black-tie wedding at a dramatic venue.

This long sweeping wedding veil that drapes naturally to the ground and trails behind you comes in single, double, or triple layers look beautiful when worn on trumpet-style wedding dresses, ball-style gowns, mermaid gowns, and A-line bridal dresses.

They look absolutely wonderful in the dim light of many traditional churches and cathedrals and ‘come to life’ as the bride walks out into the sunlight under the flash of paparazzi lights.

A vintage-inspired cathedral bridal veil can be worn either on the crown of the head, attached to the hair with heavy combs or hair clips or at the back of the head with a tiara. The tiara will give it an elegant and royal touch.






Further reading:
170 Years of Wedding Veil Styles (Bridal Veils 1800s to 1970s)
Wedding Veil Designs – Types and Styles of Bridal Headpieces
Gothic Bridal Veils for Medieval Inspired Weddings

Vintage-Inspired Edwardian Tops for Plus-Size Women

There is something simple yet romantic about Edwardian tops inspired by the fashion of the first decade of the 20th century. The blouses featured lightweight fabric with large puffy shoulders, frilly details puffed bodice, and bell sleeves. Great styles for plus size women with a curvy silhouette.

Majorly made from delicate lace or chiffon with intricate embroidery, these stylish vintage-inspired Edwardian tops were made famous by the Gibson Girl image, the epitome of the womanly model of physical attractiveness “as portrayed by the pen-and-ink illustrations of artist Charles Dana Gibson”.




During the Edwardian era (1901 to1910), women's fashion took on a stylish opulence with a bit of overindulgence, a trend that was inspired by the pleasure-seeking lifestyle of King Edward VII. It was an era of beautiful clothes and the peak of luxury living for the elites rich and the privileged few.

For fashionable plus size women, these stylish Edwardian tops are vintage chic at its best! Soft, sexy, and cropped blouses, lace camisoles, and puff-sleeve tops, they can all be paired with under-bust corsets and a pair of jeans, worn as is with your exposed midriff, or worn with bustle skirts for that dramatic and irresistible vintage-inspired look that's body-flattering for plus size women.






Further reading:
How to Dress Vintage Chic Style in Everyday Clothes
Slimming Underwear for Plus-Size Brides and Full-Bodied Women



Vintage Style Wedding Shoes (Bridal Footwear)

It is not an easy feat finding authentic vintage style wedding shoes for your vintage-inspired bridal dress. And if you do find one, which is near impossible, they’ll probably be the wrong size, and discoloured with age.

For that flapper style twenties wedding dress, how about finding the right kind of shoes to go with it? For the Gatsby themed wedding party, for instance, there will be a lot of dancing so, what best to wear than a pair of beautiful bridal shoes that’s great for the swinging dances of the roaring twenties.

Satin and lace vintage-inspired white bridal shoe
 (from Shoespie).

Rounded and closed-toe, this pair of satin and lace bridal shoes is the perfect match for vintage 20s wedding dress designs.

A simple, streamlined and elegant Mary Jane style shoe, it comes with a satin ribbon tie, a striking detail that gives it a classic chic touch.

Its medium heels with a slight front rise of 1cm make it one of the most comfortable wedding shoes for any bride that not only demands style but knows that style without comfort can turn to an agonising experience on her important day.

For any bride who is practically on her feet for hours, meaning walking down the aisle, taking photographs, moving round greeting guests at the reception, dancing at the wedding party, etc... You can’t ask for a more comfortable pair of bridal shoes.

Though they are basically wedding shoes, these vintage style wedding footwear can also be worn as bridesmaids and maids-of-honour shoes, prom shoes, and special occasion shoes, and come in white, gold, and ivory colours to match most colours of classic wedding dresses.


Further Reading:
Types and Styles of Bridal Headpieces 
Bridal Veils for Older Brides

Wedding Veil Designs – Types and Styles of Bridal Headpieces

For brides-to-be, finding perfect wedding veil designs that complement their dresses demands a little bit of patience and research.

So, what veil length is best suited for a short wedding dress? For an informal wedding, should the bride wear a veil with lace applique or just a simple blusher bridal veil? And what are the different styles and lengths of wedding veils available?



Beautiful wedding veil design - 1 tier Cathedral veil made from lace tulle fabric in ivory colour.

Blusher Veils


They are simple, yet stylish and cute. Blusher wedding veils are made to cover the eyes and extend down well below-the-chin and are a perfect match with sleeveless high-neck wedding gowns.


A blusher veil with lace and sparkling glitter applique edge.

Shoulder Length Veils


Shoulder veils extend down to the shoulder and measure between 18 and 20 inches long. They are considered informal and work best with knee-length or midi-length classic wedding dresses.

Elbow Veils


These veil types extend down to the elbow area. Elbow veils measure between 24 and 26 inches, depending on the height of the bride-to-be and whether she has long or short arms. They are perfectly suited for ball-gown dress style and end where the fullness in the skirt begins. They are also great for a full-skirted informal dress without ‘overwhelming’ the entire ensemble.

Fingertip Length Veils


The fingertip veil is one of the popular choices of wedding veils. It extends down to the fingertips and measures around 36 inches. This style of bridal veils will work perfectly for most dress styles, as long as it’s around ankle-length.

Chapel Veils


Chapel veils fall down onto the floor and are about 90 inches long. Though they sweep the floor lightly, they are shorter than the Cathedral Veil. The chapel veil is best worn with classic style bridal gowns with long trains.

Cathedral Veils


The Cathedral veil is by far the most formal of all wedding veils. It is the longest type, measuring anything from around 100 inches long to up to 120 inches and are meant to ‘sweep’ the ground way behind the bride. The Cathedral wedding veil works best with full length, classic style gowns.


2-tier white Cathedral bridal veil with lace applique on its edge and body.

 

Bridal Veils Edging and Trims


A veil will never look complete without an edging or special trim. Whether plain and simple or stylishly vintage-inspired, the edging of bridal headpieces can make or mar the style of a veil.

Different types of edging and trims include the following:
  • Plain cut edging
  • Satin ribbon trimming
  • Cord edging
  • Beading and faux stoning
  • Pearled
  • Sequined
  • Silver or gold pencil edging
  • Scalloped
  • Threaded
  • Lace applique
  • Embroidered
  • Horsehair braiding (Crinoline)
  • Rippled edging

    2-tier wedding veil with lace applique edging - Fingertip length


Wedding Veil Fabrics


Exceptional fabrics for wedding veil designs include the following and are the basic materials used to create wedding veils.

Chiffon - Chiffon veils are best made as single-tier veils because it is weightier than tulle based fabrics. It is non-translucent, fluid, and soft-flowing.

Organza – This fabric is high-end and is a popular choice for top bridal gown designers. Organza is elegant, slightly stiff, and semi-translucent.

Silk tulle – Bridal headpieces made with silk tulle drapes down elegantly. It is a beautiful fabric but is not commonly used for making wedding veils because of its delicate nature. It is made of pure silk, available in several textures, and is virtually the most expensive veil.

Illusion tulle - This is the most commonly used fabric for most wedding veils and is made of 100% nylon of varying textures. Bridal illusion tulle is soft to the touch and is available in a good number of colours.

English net – This fabric is a favourite of many brides-to-be. It is made of polyester nylon, has a very soft texture and is transparent. Best made into single-tiered bridal veils, English net drapes down in a similar way to chiffon, but weightier because of its polyester blend.

Point D’Esprit – This material is patterned yet translucent with or without a criss-cross dotted pattern. It is a popular veil fabric for brides who desire a lace ornate wedding dress.

Swiss Dot – Veils made using Swiss dot fabric have become increasingly popular. The fabric is made of bridal illusion and features small felt dots throughout the fabric.


Most Popular Bridal Veil Colours


The colour of your veil will be majorly determined by the colour of your wedding dress. Colours of choice are white, ivory, and champagne. However, depending on the theme of the wedding, some brides opt for silver, black, and red.

For instance, black or red veils are the perfect colour choices for Gothic themed weddings.


Black wedding veil design for the Medieval style inspired bride-to-be.

To make the right choice of wedding veil designs, it helps if you understand all the different styles, fabrics, and designs available out there.
So, whether you are a younger bride or older bride, knowing the differences before choosing a veil for your special day gives a much better idea on how to get a bridal veil style that works best for your dress.



Further reading: 
170 Years of Wedding Veil Styles (Bridal Veils 1800s to 1970s)
Vintage-Inspired Cathedral Wedding Veils
Gothic Bridal Veils for Medieval Inspired Weddings
Vintage Cloche Wedding Veils (Bridal Headpiece for Young Brides)