Cartier, London

After the first world war women’s fashion became less constrained meaning that jewellery aesthetics had to change to suit the new styles of fashion houses such as Coco Chanel. Jewellery became more geometric in its form and began to embody the notion of accessory as we see it today rather than a depiction of wealth. The 1930’s welcomed jewellery which consisted of diamond pieces embellished with an area of colour as shown in this brooch with the inclusion of a single sapphire. A sense of impact was achieved not only by this inclusion of colour but also by the variation in diamond sizes. This brooch is much like the designs by Louis Cartier which were based on hinges and locks from the Gothic and Renaissance period forming an almost doorknocker appearance common in Cartier pieces of this period.