Time Periods
Retro Arts
1935 - 1950
During the later part of the depression and the subsequent war years, gold began to regain its prominence in jewelry manufacturing. As World War II drew nearer, both Platinum and Nickel (a key ingredient in a white gold alloy) became "Strategic" metals, controlled by the government for use in military applications. Yellow, rose, and even green gold became the metals of choice, and were often used in combination.
Political factors, such as reduced trade with Indochina, wartime luxury taxes and new trade with South America lead to wide spread use of synthetic corundum (mainly ruby) and large semi-precious stones. Brazil in particular supplied vast quantities of aquamarine, topaz, emerald, and many varieties of quartz (citrine, amethyst, etc). It was quite common to see a mixture of natural and synthetic stones in Retro jewelry.
Retro jewelry tended to be very feminine. Bows, ribbons, and flowers were common themes. Retro pieces also tended to be large, especially the "cocktail" rings, and flowing brooches of the time.
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