The History Behind … Art Nouveau jewelry

mermaids or fairies with wings; or “scary” women, figures like Medusa, which represent the dichotomy of how French men thought about French women at that time, Karlin said. They were revered but they also were feared.

In addition to women, Art Nouveau jewelry incorporated nature in a way that never had been done in jewelry before, with insects and flowers that had a sexualized nature to them.

“All of this was totally new for jewelry. There had never been anything like this before,” she said. 

Who wore this jewelry? “There’s no doubt Art Nouveau was meant for a very select sample of society,” Karlin said.

The pieces were large and “in-your-face” and a lot of them depicted naked women, which was shocking at the time.

It also was expensive, so most pieces were donned by wealthy, artistic types.

Demimonde, unmarried women who were supported by wealthy lovers and considered to be on the fringes of acceptable society, wore Art Nouveau jewelry as did a number of well-known entertainers.

Karlin said probably the most recognizable was actress Sarah Bernhardt, who helped to make jewelry designer René Lalique famous. “If she didn’t wear Lalique jewelry, I don’t think it would have become known like it was,” she said.

What materials were used for Art Nouveau jewelry? While this certainly cannot be said for other periods, for Art Nouveau jewelry “The materials were not as important as the design,” Karlin said.

The pieces were less about gemstones and more about enamel, including plique-à-jour enamel. French for “letting in daylight,” plique-à-jour enamel is translucent, meaning it allows light to pass through; think of a stained-glass window.  

Horn, usually from domestic animals such as cows, was heated and bent into different shapes for Art Nouveau pieces, and a lot of carved ivory was used as well.

Diamonds were used too, but mostly as accent stones.

How much is Art Nouveau jewelry worth today? Because much of it was made of enamel, which breaks easily, and it was a short-lived period in jewelry design, Art Nouveau designs in good condition are not abundant.

This, of course, also makes them highly desirable.

Karlin said while Art Nouveau pieces haven’t gotten up to the million-dollar range yet, pieces that are attractive and in good condition will fetch a few hundred thousand dollars. To wit: Last month, Sotheby’s sold a Lalique pendant for $212,500, more than double its highest estimate. 

“If you can buy them at a good price, I would buy them, no doubt about it,” Karlin said.