This has emboldened houses to reference the 1920s and 1930s in their collections freely. Yet original Art Deco jewellery can appear so modern that it is often difficult to distinguish it from Art Deco-inspired contemporary pieces. Alongside the signed Art Deco pieces by Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Boucheron, Chaumet and Mellerio, those by now extinct houses such as Lacloche Frères, Jean Després, and Fouquet have experienced robust demand and commanded high prices. Meanwhile, auction houses have been reporting increased demand for Art Deco jewellery during the pandemic.

“These pieces probably do achieve higher results if compared to a similar jewel from another time,” observes Jessica Wyndham, Sotheby’s head of European jewellery sales - a fact that she attributes to the enduring modernity of the style. “Sometimes, original elements of Islamic art have been set in Cartier creations, such as Persian miniatures, carved stones and elements of Mughal jewellery,” says Rainero.Ĭartier’s 1924 Nécessaire in gold, platinum, mother-of-pearl, turquoises, emeralds, pearls, diamonds and enamel © CartierĪpprêts transform a piece of jewellery into a unique work of art impossible to reproduce - which inevitably bolsters Art Deco jewellery’s desirability and its price in the vintage market. A distinct Art Deco feature is the use of apprêt, a genuine artefact of past civilisations inserted in contemporary jewellery. The same geometrical mandorlas, foliage, plant and floral designs in starkly contrasting colours, that are the vocabulary of Islamic art, permeated the language of Art Deco. Islamic art also inspired Cartier to combine the green of jade or emerald with the blue of lapis lazuli or sapphire to create his famous peacock pattern. Cartier’s diamond and platinum tiara with the palmettes motif in turquoise © Cartier

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