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Antique Jewellery

The Most Iconic Vintage Jewellery From the Roaring Twenties

21 November 2023|By Hatton Garden Jewellers|25 min read
25 min read

The 1920s are known as one of the most revolutionary fashion eras, and many of its signature trends are still followed today. Some pieces were upgraded or changed a bit, but they still originate from this era. Gatsby's fashion era has themed accessories that are recognizable by incorporating different materials and beaded work, along with specific colour palettes that were popular back then. 

All of these traits make these pieces works of art and show why they have an impact even on modern fashion. Signature pieces of the Roaring Twenties were mainly accessories since they played a huge role in making popular clothing combinations into the iconic garments we still remember and admire. 

As jewellery has always made outfits memorable and unique, let's look at some of the iconic pieces that can now be found in well-equipped vintage stores.

True Stars of the 1920’s Jewellery 

Typical jewellery worn in these years are rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and some beaded headpieces. Even then, society puts a huge pressure on you to wear out your wealth. Therefore, investing in your jewellery and wearing expensive pieces to show off your status was a must. 

To dress without wearing any jewellery was as if you hadn’t dressed at all! The only time it was acceptable not to wear your jewels was in day-to-day life. 

To add a Gatsby flavour to your “look,” make sure you have some of these iconic pieces.

Necklaces

There are a few popular necklace styles; they are usually made from pearls or luxurious stones.

  1. Long pearl necklaces:

These were the most iconic out of all ‘20s jewellery pieces. Not all of them were super long, and they typically weren’t worn in a single strand. Wearing long pearl necklaces in multiple layers of various lengths was popular. Longer necklaces were trendy in the early twenties and were getting shorter as the decades progressed. 

Coco Chanel was a big promoter of these necklaces and even wore a necklace or two around her wrist, giving her a look of having a few messily thrown bracelets on. Pearls were an item that every woman could afford in these decades since there were great quality fake ones, too, and even fake ones were acceptable and popular among women.

  1. Long beaded necklaces: 

These were as popular as pearls and popular in the well-known Art Deco colour palette. They were made of rounded stones, typically in black, white, red, and green. With these necklaces, “you didn’t need to match them to the rest of your outfit,” they were as trendy in any opposite colour from the ones you are wearing. Beads were more affordable to people since they were made from plastic or glass, and at first glance, it was hard to tell if they were real or fake. 

Sautoir was a popular long necklace with a tuft of loosely hanging threads made from a certain material at the bottom. It possibly had a large singular gemstone pendant. It could have been worn not only on the front of your dress but on your back as well, which looked amazing on the open-back dresses.

  1. Dog collar necklaces: 

These were other popular jewellery styles of this decade. Stones of different shapes were set in heavy covers and wrapped tightly around the base of the neck. These necklaces aren’t really to be called chokers since they were hanging a bit lower on the neck.

Bold Art Deco colours were extremely popular when it comes to necklaces. This colour pallet was deep, specific, and bold. Designs didn’t have to look realistic; they could also look quite simple. 

Drop Earrings

Women's necks were mostly exposed because of their short hair and cloche hats that were frequently worn at the time. Therefore, drop earrings were a perfect way to draw attention to the naked neck since they were always super shiny and dangling. They usually had small diamonds or rhinestones and were set in a wirework design.

Diamonds were acceptable only for formal evenings and important events. If worn during the day, it would certainly come across as vulgar. Even though diamonds have become more affordable due to a field discovery in South Africa, they are still a status symbol and a sign of wealth. 

Gems made from stones like jade, coral, turquoise, marcasite, onyx, agate, and carnelian were wearable for day-to-day life. They came in pure white, clear, or silver casings, which were both elegant and practical to wear with different colour combinations. 

Hair clips or headbands were matched with earrings for formal and special occasions. If earrings could not be seen, it was popular to pull one side of the hair back and wear only one earring on that side. 

Another accessory that could have been coordinated with earrings was brooches pinned to the cloche hats and worn during the day.

Bracelets

Regarding bracelets in the 1920s, the more bangles a woman had climbing up her arm, the better. They were made from wood, bone, shell, metal, or plastic; some even had gems. These bracelets came in colours and patterns that mimicked the African tribal culture.

Even some Egyptian designs were popular among bracelets. Egyptians traditionally wore bracelets around their biceps, and they had recognizable colour combinations.

Other bracelet styles were wirework diamante, which could also be worn on your biceps and wrist, preferably several at a time. 

Collecting 1920s Jewellery

Jewellery from this era is highly collectible nowadays. You can find affordable vintage jewellery to purchase online at vintage stores or some local town stores. If you want to wear something new with each outfit, you can find some budget-friendly custom-made jewellery. That is exactly how the true ‘20s women did it, including the famous fashion designer Coco Chanel herself.

Casino Style

In the 1960s, gambling houses and casinos were full of luxury-looking ladies and gentlemen, and jewellery was a standard part of their attire. And no matter the charm and class they brought with them, casinos were always looking to entice new gamblers. Therefore, they offered special promotions back in the day. 

However, only some gamblers would find those tempting, unlike today, where most online gamblers look for online casinos with the best bonus offers. That’s why we have all sorts of different bonuses today. One of those offers that might seem too good to be true is the 50 free spins no deposit required UK. Players are able to get a solid start with these free spins.

Best of all, you can wear all your jewellery while gaming. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, you won’t regret spicing up your outfits with some iconic vintage jewellery from the 1920s. It was simple but colourful for daywear and elegant for evenings but always fashionable and good-looking. 

Jewellery played a huge role in making this era’s fashion trends memorable, and the great thing is that we can simply add some iconic jewellery to our look to make ourselves appear more fashionable or feel more elegant.

Tags
pearlsfashion eraVintageRoaring Twentiesdrop earringsart decobraceletsGatsbyiconic piecesjewellerycollectible
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