Jewelry Trends over the Decades

Jewelry has been reused and recycled over the decades.  As the times change, so do the trends.  Could you imagine having belly button rings back in the 20s?

I am going to focus on the 20s and 30s today.  Enjoy!

The Roaring Twenties
As the neckline on shirts plunged to new depths, and hairstyles radically shortened into bobs, jewelry trends of the 1920s adjusted with the times with jewelers producing sportier, more casual accessories.

Synthetic plastics made their appearance in the Twenties, and showed up in jewelry cases, allowing for mass production and affordability. Bakelite, with its clay-like material that could be finished in a variety of colors, became a popular form of synthetic jewelry.

In the era, the definition of style transformed from expensive to affordable, from fancy to fun-and so did the jewelry. The martini may already have been invented, but the Roaring Twenties saw the dawn of cocktail jewelry.

Bakelite Bangle

The Dirty Thirties

American optimism took a hit as the booming economy faded into economic depression. Functionality was the word of the decade and fashion turned practical. Jewelry brought color and brightness to an otherwise gloomy state of affairs.

To liven up dull outfits, women turned to brilliant brooches found at bargain prices made from colorful enamel. In a desperate time, women were going to desperate measures to prove their social status, causing jewelry designers to grow bolder. And women piled it on, from dress clips in hair to the chunky necklaces that could be worn as bracelets. Bigger and bolder meant wealthier

Brilliant Brooch

I can think of several ways these trends have been reinvented over the years. 

Until next time...
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