Art Deco Jewellery: A Collector's Guide (1920–1939)

Art Deco (roughly 1920–1939) is the most instantly recognisable style in jewellery history: geometry, symmetry and contrast, worn with a cocktail in hand. A century later it remains the most requested era in our collection — and the one most often imitated, which makes knowing the real thing essential.

Where the look came from

The style took its name from the 1925 Paris Exposition des Arts Décoratifs. After the war, everything changed at once: women cut their hair and their hemlines, jazz arrived, and design threw out the garlands of the Edwardian age in favour of the machine age — skyscraper steps, sunbursts, Egyptian motifs after Tutankhamun's tomb was opened in 1922, and the clean lines of Cubism.

The anatomy of a Deco jewel

• Geometry and symmetry: octagons, hexagons, steps, chevrons and target motifs, balanced left-to-right.
• New cuts: baguettes, emerald cuts, and calibré-cut stones — small coloured stones cut to fit their setting exactly, forming crisp borders of sapphire, ruby, emerald or onyx.
• Contrast: white diamonds against black onyx, red coral, green jade; platinum and the new white gold (widely used from the 1920s).
• Transitional diamonds: old European cuts persist early in the era, giving way to the earliest modern brilliants by the late 1930s.
• Signature pieces: target and step-cut cluster rings, long geometric drop earrings, double-clip brooches, wide flexible bracelets, sautoir necklaces.

Real Deco vs "Deco style"

Because the look never fell from fashion, reproductions abound. Genuine pieces show hand-finished detail under magnification: individually cut calibré stones (repros substitute uniform machine-cut stones or coloured enamel), fine millegrain, hand-pierced galleries, and honest wear. White gold marked 18ct with a British date letter from the 1920s–30s is a good sign; laser-crisp casting marks are not. When in doubt, ask the dealer exactly how they've dated the piece — a good one will tell you gladly.

Collecting Art Deco today

Deco rings — especially target clusters and geometric solitaires — are the most sought-after antique engagement rings of all, and fine examples appreciate accordingly. Earrings and bracelets offer better value for the quality. Condition to check: calibré borders with replaced or missing stones, and thin shanks from decades of wear. Browse the collection — Deco pieces are usually the first to go, so the archive is worth a look to calibrate your eye.