Hammered Antique Reed And Barton

Fascination with the Jazz Age is endless, and even today jewelry designers continue to be inspired by authentic Art Deco jewelry and watches.

The Art Deco period, encompassing the 1920s and ’30s, ushered in a very distinct look in the design of jewelry. There were many influences on the jewelry of the era that actually began to take shape prior to the 1920s. In 1909, Serge Diaghilev brought the Ballet Russes to Paris, and women went wild for the company’s exotic and vibrant costumes It’s no wonder, then, that jade, lapis lazuli, coral, turquoise and other bright gemstones became all the rage. There already existed a fascination with the East, particularly China and Japan, and motifs consisting of fans and masks started to show up in Art Deco jewelry.

However, the event that had the greatest influence on Deco was the excavation of the tomb of King Tut in 1922. When the world saw what was hidden in Tut’s burial chamber, it sent just about everyone into a frenzy. Pierre Cartier wrote in 1923 that “the discovery of the tomb will bring some sweeping changes in fashion jewelry.” And he couldn’t have been more right. “Egyptomania” left an indelible mark on all of the major jewelry houses, from Cartier to Van Cleef & Arpels, Boucheron and Georges Fouquet. (Cartier created some of the most iconic jewelry designs that defined this era.)

While a lot of Art Deco jewelry was black and white — the black coming from the use of onyx or black enamel and the white from rock crystal and diamonds — there is plenty of color in jewelry of the era. A perfect accent to diamonds in platinum settings were blue sapphires, emeralds and rubies, and these stones were also used in combination with each other.

Many designers employed coral, jade and lapis lazuli, too. In fact, some of the most important avant-garde jewelers of the period, like Jean Després and Jean Fouquet (son of Georges), would combine white gold with ebony and malachite for a jolt of color.

A lot of the jewelry produced during this time nodded to current fashion trends, and women often accessorized their accessories. The cloche hat was often accented with geometric diamond brooches or double-clip brooches. Backless evening dresses looked fabulous with sautoir necklaces, and long pearl necklaces that ended with tassels, popular during the Edwardian period, were favored by women everywhere, including Coco Chanel.

Find unique Art Deco necklaces, earrings, bracelets and other jewelry on 1stDibs.

Antique and vintage silver candleholders and candelabra serve as decorative pieces and elegant sources of illumination in any dining room.

A candleholder can come as an individual piece or in a set. These objects vary in size and shape depending on the candles they are designed to hold as well as the era in which they were made. A candelabra is a more ornate and larger version of a candleholder.

Candleholder sets and candelabra can essentially serve as tabletop chandeliers. Adding these objects to your dining table can help establish an atmosphere and an air of elegance any time you gather with close friends or family.

Some of the earliest candleholders were made of clay, but by the 17th century, they were mostly made of silver. English silver made between 1660, when Charles II was restored to the throne — which evidently led to an upsurge in demand for items produced with the material domestically — and 1840, shortly after Queen Victoria came to power, is particularly popular with collectors. From this rich, 180-year period we saw examples of two-handled cups with squat bodies embossed and chased with foliage and animals, toilet services, beer tankards with flat-domed lids, wine cups on simple baluster stems, columnar candlesticks and more.

Later brass, copper and other warm metals gave candelabra a warm glow. Candleholders and candelabra have also been made from glass, crystal, ceramic and iron.

Candleholders and candelabra come in a variety of styles. As candelabra have various arms extending from the main stem, these components can range from two to six depending on size, period and style.

From antique examples to contemporary designs, browse a range of antique and vintage silver candleholders and candelabra variations on 1stDibs.