MID CENTURY VINTAGE JEWELRY

(1950-1965)


Mid Century Era jewelry is known for its chunky, textured, and sometimes articulated, designs.

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Mid Century Jewelry Information

Mid Century bombé ring set with natural diamonds and rubies

​Jewelry in the 1950s shared similar themes to '40s era jewelry, only with much more texture.  Bright polish finishes were replaced with textured, woven, linked, twisted, or braided gold pieces.


METALS COMMONLY USED

​• Gold (Yellow Gold and White Gold)
​• Platinum
​• Silver


METALWORKING TECHNIQUES

​• Textured Finishes


TYPES OF JEWELRY WORN

​• Necklaces (Chokers, Bibs & Torsades)
​• Rings (Bombé, Bypass & Ballerina)
​• Brooches
​• Earrings & Ear Clips
• Bracelets (Bangle, Charm & Slide Bracelets)
​• Parures & Demi-Parures

Articulated jewelry was very popular in Mid Century Era jewelry.

Jewelry featured diamonds of various shapes and cutting styles.

Rings often sat high atop the finger, supported by long, twisted wirework.

Pearl chokers and torsades were very popular during the fifties.  Torsades are multiple strands of twisted pearls, sometimes fastened by an embellished clasp.

Matching parures or demi-parures were common during the 1960s.


GEMS COMMONLY USED

​• Diamond
​• Emerald
​• Sapphire
​• Ruby
​• Cultured Pearls
• Jade
​• Lapis Lazuli
​• Coral
• Malachite
• Tourmaline
• Topaz
• Amethyst
• Citrine
• Aquamarine
​• Marcasite (Pyrite)

Diamonds were fashioned into nearly every shape imaginable.  Various shapes and cutting styles would be used within the same piece of jewelry.  For example, round transitional cut diamonds would be set atop a cascade of baguette diamonds, with an articulated pear shape dangle.

Bright-colored, opaque gems such as lapis lazuli, malachite, and coral were prominently featured in jewelry of the 1960s.


COMMON MOTIFS

​• Woven, Twisted or Textured
​• Animals
​• Insects
​• Flowers, Plants & Leaves
​• Sputnik Jewelry
​• Enameling
• Jagged, Splintered or Spiky

Leaves would often be enameled, carved from gems, or even articulated.

On October 4th, 1957 the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite into orbit, inspiring domed, bombé-style designs dotted with gemstones, dubbed Sputnik jewelry.
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Mid Century Jewelry Gallery

​All photos courtesy of Scott Papper, GIA GG, AJP, CMA (NAJA)

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