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| Photo Courtesy of dyh.com |
First, I'll start by saying hello! It's been a very long time since I've posted a blog, so bear with me. I'm a little rusty.
As you may be aware if you've been following my bling journey, I am an Art Deco fanatic. In my home, in my jewelry, in my clothing, hell, if I could, everything I own would have some sort of Art Deco flair, and every decade past the 1920s has a bit of it in its styling. Even mid-century modern gets its graphic lines and simple bold colors from the Art Deco era. It seems that I'm not alone in my love of Art Deco as well. It's seen quite resurgence as of late. In fact I'm having some brand new Art Deco furniture delivered to me soon from CB2. It's a universally recognized style even if you don't realize it. The lines, curves, colors and metals, stand out in a crowd even when a skyline is filled with it.
One of the most famous and notable Art Deco buildings in the world is that baby right up there: The Chrysler Building. Built in the 1920s during the economic boom of New York City, its construction employed many people during the Great Depression and (and maybe a more than few injuries). It was the first man made building to stand 1,000 feet, thanks to its 'skewer.' When the Chrysler Building was finished it was praised for being "an expression of the intense activity and vibrant life of our day." Not having any documentation to back this up and only using my imagination - I can imagine there were many people who felt the affluence of the building wasn't great for the time, but people held their heads high. Now her sharp lines, bold colors, geometric shape are iconic. There is no public observation deck on the Chrysler Building so she is to be adored from afar, but walking into the lobby can be an Art Deco eye explosion that I highly recommend. I found a great blog/photos here: https://www.thewelcomeblog.com/stories-of-new-york/chrysler-building-lobby/9/6/2016
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| Photo Courtesy of The Welcome Blog, Linked Above |
The Art Deco trend started in the 20s; post World War 1. The world was itching to show how luxurious and modern it was and it found with Art Deco. Full length movies got their start in the 20s, so movie stars were being made, women were losing their corsets, men were losing their minds over the lost corsets! Technically it was illegal to drink alcohol, but it's hard to imagine the roaring 20s without thinking of a snifter of brandy or a cold martini in the hands of every F. Scott Fitzgerald out there. The style of Art Deco was so popular that it ran into the 30s, when the rest of the country was in a Great Depression, but cheaper materials were used. In the 40s, when the country was involved in another world war, the style had a hold on the world. There was just something about the exorbitance of Deco that held on through the turbulance of the world.
One thing was certain - big and bold was the way to go in everything you saw . . .
Cars . . .
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| Photo Courtesy of drivemag.com |
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| Photo Courtesy of Huffington Post |
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| Photo Courtesy of AutoEvolution.Com |
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| Photo Courtesy of 919Raleigh.com |
Trains . . .
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| http://i.imgur.com/EAJQ4TH.jpg |
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| Photo Courtesy of Streamlinememories.com |
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| Photo Courtesy of http://www.artdecomumbai.com |
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| Photo Courtesy of Chicago Art Deco on Twitter |
and most importantly (at least in my opinion)
Jewelry . . .
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| https://www.etsy.com/listing/530369220/art-deco-antique-cushion-cut-diamond-and?ref=shop_home_active_32 |
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| *sold* |
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| https://www.etsy.com/listing/596893128/true-jazz-era-14k-yellow-gold-diamond?ref=shop_home_active_12 |
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| https://www.etsy.com/listing/610721473/vintage-platinum-art-deco-sapphire-and?ref=shop_home_active_17 |
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| *sold* |
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| Not currently for sale |
In the 20s more colorful gemstones were used and diamonds were cut in less traditional
form. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, coral, onyx, crystals, in geometric lines and striking colors that shows the confidence and free thinking of the 1920s.
Today the Deco era has a strong influence on the pieces I've designed and sell in the past few years as I have always been drawn to the "simplicity in abundance" of the style.
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| https://www.etsy.com/listing/596477271/platinum-lapis-emerald-and-old-cut?ga_search_query=lapis&ref=shop_items_search_1 |
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| https://www.etsy.com/listing/546672102/18k-white-gold-welo-opal-and-onyx-art?ga_search_query=opal&ref=shop_items_search_3 |
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| https://www.etsy.com/listing/477793644/233-ct-solid-lightning-ridge-crystal?ga_search_query=opal&ref=shop_items_search_2 |
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| *sold* |
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| https://www.etsy.com/listing/582680948/platinum-old-cut-diamond-and-coral-art?ga_search_query=coral&ref=shop_items_search_1 |
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| And of course my Zelda (not for sale) |
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As I continue in my bling journey I continue to find more I love about this era, and also continue to find more pieces to sell (or hoard) in my Etsy shop. I hope that this little write up conveyed a bit of what I love about the era and maybe made you fall in love with it a bit as well.
