The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings.
Kate Chopin
art deco gold mesh buckle bracelet
An art deco bracelet, formed as a sinuous gold mesh with belt buckle clasp and keeper, gold mesh decorated with alternating diamond and rectagular pattern, keeper stamped with a monogrammed 'V', pre-revolutionary Russian import kokoshnik hallmarks for 14k gold, Odessa, 19 g, length 8.25 in, with collets allowing to be worn from 6 in to 7.5 in, circa 1910.
The turn of the twentieth century brought with it a rapidly-changing profusion of styles in jewelry, including the characteristic platinum and diamond jewelry of Edwardian design, followed by the angular 'Great Gatsby' jewels of the Art Deco period. Edwardian design carried on the romantic approach of the late Victorian age but combined it with newly available materials such as platinum, which were worked into elaborate and lacey designs almost entirely in silver and white. Closely on its heels, Art Deco design was characterized by increasing mechanization and featured square corners, bright center stones, and a general feeling of progress. During this same time, the Art Nouveau movement with its emphasis on naturalistic design contrasted greatly with the stark elements of the blooming industrial age. Art Nouveau design was particularly focused on aspects of the femininity of nature and its expression in rich metals accented by airy and colorful enamels in the plique-a-jour style. The absolute cornucopia of design that existed in the first quarter of the twentieth century became a harbinger of the wealth, success, and confidence of a new era.