Retro Period Jewelry

The Retro period is broadly understood to span from the 1940s to the late 1960s. Most jewelry from this period was made of gold or silver, and for the first time in the 20th century, yellow gold was more popular than platinum or white gold in jewelry design.

Why such a change? One reason is simple: the Second World War. Indeed, platinum and its alloys used to create white gold were requisitioned and used to manufacture weapons. Thus, jewelers no longer had the possibility of purchasing these metals and therefore their raw material. They had no other choice but to favor the use of yellow gold in the creation of their jewelry.

Precious stones in Retro jewelry

The war influenced the choice of material, but not only that. Indeed, jewelers also lacked stones due to shortages and supply difficulties linked to the events. They therefore compensated for this lack with stones of lower value, but with volume, and by using synthetic stones whose manufacturing processes had been fully developed.

Although Retro jewelry has similarities with that of the Art Deco period (especially in the treatment of line and geometry), the latter is distinguished by its volume and the few stones set. The public eventually adopted this new style, considering that it was part of the sacrifices necessary for the war efforts. It should also be noted that within the Retro period different movements stood out, such as the influence of passementerie and the whole vocabulary of knots, threads, weaves, pompoms in the 50s.

Much of this jewelry was eventually melted down during the various economic periods that followed. The pieces that remain today appear to be works of mastery, rich in gold (and therefore in weight), memories of this uncertain era.