Jewelry is a real art that does not stand still but is constantly evolving. Every year new techniques are invented, new materials are invented, new types of stones are synthesized. According to the style of jewelry, you can restore the era in which this or that product was created.

Today we will look at the most common styles of jewelry and let you plunge into the history of the most interesting art – jewelry making.

Baroque

The name of this trend comes from the French word for “whimsical.” The style dates back to the Italian renaissance of the first decades of the 17th century. The great sculptor Michelangelo is considered the “father” of the Baroque.

Distinctive features of this direction are pomp, brightness, large forms, huge inserts, grandeur, intricacy.

Huge gold chandelier earrings that end right near the shoulder are in fashion for ladies. As jewelry on the neck, massive necklaces are used, decorated as picturesquely as possible. Pearls are in fashion, and not one thread is put on the neck, but 5-6 pieces at once to show the wealth and sophistication of the lady. During this period, new models of jewelry were invented – multi-tiered bracelets and rings with “secrets”.

Baroque jewelry is often used in wedding looks, they perfectly emphasize feminine attractiveness and are harmoniously combined with both lush and modest wedding dresses.

The use of expensive materials is characteristic: precious stones, Florentine mosaics, gold and silver of high standard.

Victorian Romantic era

This trend developed in the 18th – 19th centuries. It is believed that romanticism (from the English. Romanticism) came to us from England. Experts believe that the reason for the emergence of romanticism is a reaction to the results of the Great French Revolution and the heyday of the Age of Enlightenment. “Romantics” opposed any rules laid down by classicism, they wanted a fairy tale, carnival, grotesque, but at the same time a realistic perception of nature (animals, birds, fruits and flowers).

During this period, new technologies were widely used, for example, electroplating, which made it possible to reduce the cost of production of metal products.

During this period, the following varieties of the Victorian style prevailed:

• Neo-Gothic (massive ornaments resembling chandeliers, candelabra, candlesticks, various imitations of products from the Middle Ages, cast iron decorations).
• Neo-Renaissance (jewelry with large details in the form of sphinxes at the ends of bracelets, miniature figurines-statues on tie pins and other items with relief details, feronnieres (pendant on the forehead). Enamel is widely used).
• Neo-rococo (brooches-bouquets on high stems studded with beautiful stones, lush brooches-sklavazh).

With heavy in form and rich in decor, Victorian decorations should be very careful.

These products require a special background, therefore, in order to look elegant and fashionable under earrings or necklaces in this style, it is advisable to wear plain, dull things.

The main features of the style: large curved shapes, generous decor, many stones.

Natural materials such as tortoiseshell, bone, wood, marble, corals were used.

Stones in fashion: pearls, jet, onyx, garnet, turquoise, agate, malachite, carnelian.

Egyptian and Greek styles

In our world, everything is very closely interconnected, therefore, the ideas of unusual trends are often various scientific discoveries. So, in November 1922, the tomb of Tutankhamun was found in Egypt, as a result of which interest in the Egyptian style of decoration was revived.

In the 30s of the XIX century, typical jewelry became:

• Scarabs;
• Pyramids;
• Snakes;
• Palm trees;
• Various hieroglyphs;
• Sphinxes.

Wide gilded bracelets, huge earrings, various necklaces made of beads and ornamental stones are in fashion. Much attention was paid to jewelry enamel, which repeated the colorful Egyptian pattern on rings, earrings, bracelets.

Not far from the Egyptian, the Greek style has also gone. It is also oversaturated with images of various mythical creatures. A special highlight of this style are:

• Bracelets that are worn on the shoulder of the hand;
• Tiaras decorated with leaves of plants and flowers;
• Necklaces, which are worn around the neck, are attached to a brooch in the middle of the chest and neatly encircle the dress.

Hippie

The hippie culture originated in the late 1950s in the United States. The heyday of her movement in our country came at a later period – the end of the 70s. This style is perhaps the most inexpensive jewelry in the history of mankind. Beads, semi-precious stones, silver were in fashion. Feathers, shells, sea stones, glass, plastic, leather are used from natural materials.

Distinctive features of the style are:

• Round earrings with colored feathers;
• Massive silver rings.
• Leather and steel bracelets.
• Large plastic earrings, bracelets in bright acid tones.

Steampunk

The term “steampunk” was coined by writer Kevin Jeter in 1987. This style in jewelry is nothing more than an imitation of the style of Victorian England, in which mankind has reached perfection in mechanics and steam engines. “Steam” is translated from English as “steam”, so this trend in jewelry is also called a steam bank.

A feature of the products is the combination of natural motives and mechanical connections. For example, imagine a butterfly or bird that is partially made of bolts and gears. This is exactly what steampunk is.

This style has become very popular among teenagers today. They combine bright, provocative jewelry with jeans, sneakers and oversized sweatshirts or shirts in dark colors.

Rustic

Stylized rustic jewelry has become a real trend today. “Rustic” is translated from French as “rustic”, “simple”. Distinctive features of such products are:

• Floral motifs that are used in the manufacture of necklaces, bracelets and brooches;
• Various types of knits, reminiscent of the weaving of coarse fabrics.

The most common materials are wood, beads, silver, plastic beads, artificial flowers, ornamental stones, dried plants, wire, rough fabrics.

Products made of silver are usually decorated in the form of elements of nature. For example, if it is a ring, then it is made with an engraving in the form of a tree, a fingerprint, a flower, etc.

Vintage retro style

Vintage in the jewelry world is a blend of styles aimed at creating new trends and shapes from the past. The massive use of retro elements began in the 90s of the twentieth century. You can even find this jewelry in the collections of fashion houses: Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, Gianni Versace, Pierre Cardin.

What is vintage jewelry? These are mostly large-sized products, consisting of many complex small parts and weaves. In the manufacture of jewelry, such basic elements as cameos, cabochons, settings, and stamps are used.

Cameo is a convex imprint of an image of a person or an animal. Cameos made of glass, porcelain, plastic, jewelry enamel look exquisite.

Cabochons are ornaments similar in structure to cameos. They represent a molding or cutout on the material in the form of an image of a person, then this cameo is poured with a special solution, it solidifies, hardens and its surface is polished.

In our understanding, the vintage style of accessories belongs to the classic, so it is highly recommended to use it in a business look for every day.

Settings are so-called frames of openwork performance, into which cameos and cabochons are glued.

Stamps are prints, usually in the form of a flower or butterfly, that are glued to glass or stone to give the decoration a graceful look.

Art Nouveau or Art Nouveau style

In the 90s of the XIX century, the Art Nouveau style (Art Nouveau) became popular, which originated in France with Russia, and eventually reached Europe. The jewelry has Gothic and Japanese features. The products use floral themes, silhouettes of people, animals and birds, images of mythical characters. Jewelry enamel has become especially popular among the materials.

If you want to imagine jewelry in Art Nouveau, then remember some kind of butterfly and imagine that it was made in the form of a product, as close as possible to its natural shape and color. This is real Art Nouveau. Art Nouveau jewelry looks as natural as possible, lightweight and extraordinarily elegant.