Jewellery became an important part of people’s lives in the fourteenth and the fifteenth centuries. This was not just for women, but men as well. The fifteenth century saw jewels with figures of gold and flowers, foliage, and other stuff with designs made from pearls.
In the sixteenth century, the Spanish court was one of the most beautiful courts. Looking at it, the other courts in Europe followed suit. The art of metal engraving was perfected by them by around this time. Communication and trade was given a boost by then and that made it easy for them to get the new discoveries and blooming ideas across Europe. Some of the most gorgeous styles that have influenced the world of art ever since would be figurative pendants made with legendary heroes or stories in mind. After that came architectural ornaments with new found elements.
Benvenuto Cellini is the most famous artistic cum goldsmith of that time. He started working in Italy, the place where he was from, and then moved onto France where he worked for Francis I. We know about Benvenuto through his sculptures and also through the autobiography written about him. His jewellery has not stood the test of time though and we do not really have any samples today to admire.
The seventeenth century saw a certain formality where jewellery became a lot simpler and pearls and faceted gems were used. Uncut gems or stones in their natural form were never used in jewellery after 1640. This was the time when diamond mines in Golconda, India were opened. A new style of cutting called the rose style was introduced. This replaced the table style that was not very appealing.
The jeweller employed by Louis XIV for his court made some of the greatest designs ever created in the history of jewellery. He was the last royal to ever wear an exorbitant amount of jewels. Fashion got a lot more frivolous and light in the eighteenth century. Diamonds were cut to bring out its brilliance. Jewelled flowers became the next ‘in’ thing. This was one of the biggest challenges designers faced then. Only the really skilled ones could pull it off. Brazil then became the new hotspot for diamonds in 1725. The demand for fake diamond grew too.
With the French Revolution in 1789, the fashion capital of the world, Paris, was totally destroyed. With the new ideals of republicanism that came into being, it was no longer fashionable to wear diamonds. Only the simplest form of gold jewellery was worn. Filigree became the new fashion jewellery in the late eighteenth century. This created rich effects at low costs. Queen Victoria popularised this style.
The designs were classic, ad elegant. Since this period, gold jewellery has become the most preferred jewellery by the world.
Right from the age of Cleopatra whose skin looked great against the yellow metal, women have not been able to live without it. It may have caused wars which have lead to a lot of blood shed, but at the end of the day, that is what the women in the house want, and so that is what the men are willing to fight the world for.
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