A Guide to Mid-Century Jewellery: the fabulous 50s

Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Elizabeth Taylor all epitomise the trend of indulgent femininity that typifies the 1950s. As the new wave of starlets emerged with more glamour and glitz than ever the jewellery had to match.

With the war well and truly over, women’s fashion was allowed to grow softer and more feminine than the practicality of the 1940s. Women now preferred a bold hour-glass silhouette- wearing a tight bodice, décolleté neckline, and full skirt. This look emerged in 1947 at the hands of Christian Dior who labelled it “The New Look”. This “new look” needed new jewellery to suit- this meant a similar mix between boldness and curved femininity.

Materials

With the worries of wartime at a safe enough distance, spirits soared and so to did the economy. The 1950s saw the return to expensive materials such as platinum and diamonds.

De Beers successfully set their hooks on the newly prosperous middle class. They were clever enough to focus on more affordable designs with smaller diamonds. The famous De Beers ‘A diamond is forever’ campaign made its mark and a whole new variety of 1950s women now adorned themselves in diamonds.

Another champion of the diamond was Harry Winston. He produced delicate designs that focused on the precious gemstones. Winston achieved so much success that he was even mentioned in Marilyn Monroe’s anthem ‘Diamond’s are a Girl’s Best Friend’- “talk to me Harry Winston tell me all about it”.

Designers

Paris still remained the centre of fine jewellery with Cartier, Sterlé, Van Cleef & Arpels still the pinnacles of fashion. These powerhouses redesigned their best pre-war jewellery as it now appealed to a new audience- the middle class. While still bigger, bolder and more colourful than the pre-war era, jewellery took on a softer tone and angular lines were replaced with sensuous curves.

Despite Paris’ dominance the 1950s saw the rise of American jewellers. Harry Winston was making his mark from New York and so to was Jean Shlumberger for Tiffany. The American brand had its big movie-moment with Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The eponymous scene starring Audrey Hepburn, a croissant, and most importantly Shlumberger’s jewellery cemented Tiffany as a staple brand en par with its Parisienne rivals.

The Georg Jensen jewellery house also grew ever greater – important designers such as Arno Malinowski and Henning Koppel produced simple modern silver pieces depicting sea life or other animals.

Themes and motifs

Though designs got larger and louder, the themes and motifs echoed previous decades- only new and improved. Wildlife remained extremely fashionable – including Cartier’s reimagined iconic panther brooch – and was depicted both in serious and comical designs. Flora and fauna was as celebrated as ever, with single flowers or bejewelled bouquets.

Jewellery Styles

BROOCHES were the height of fashion, often worn in clusters on the tight bodices of the 50s silhouette. Variations were endless but wildlife remained the most typical motif. What is fabulous about these statement pieces is their versatility; a brooch could become a pendant on a necklace, or even a tiara in the hair, as seen on Elizabeth Taylor below.

EARRINGS were large and, unlike today, were mostly “clip-ons”. The trend for swept-up hairdos meant earring were always on display so dangling gems were popular to add extra sparkle. Wildlife and bow motifs created a feminine curve to match the poof of poodle skirts.

The mid-century even saw the return to ear piercing. Having gone out of fashion in the 1800s due to new clip-on mechanisms and hairstyles that covered the ears, piercings were making a comeback. Ahead of the crowd was Queen Elizabeth II, who pioneered the trend when she pierced her ears in 1947 to wear a pair of gifted diamond earrings.

BRACELETS to decorate mid-century wrists now included bangles, gold wire mesh and strings of pearls, and layering became more common practice.

NECKLACES were now worn at the base of neck, to compliment the new low necklines. Bib styles with waterfalls of gemstones or rows of pearls became the vogue. These necklaces even doubled up as tiaras to decorate the new updos that required a diamond clip or two.

RINGS remained big and bold but the lines were softer than the Retro and Art Deco styles. Cocktail rings such as the stylish Ballerina Ring were popular- named after the ballerina’s tutu it sought to recreate. Large, impressive centre stones were surrounded by gemstones to create a tutu’s frill.

As the design soared to popularity with such speed, appearing in jewellery houses from Tiffany to Boucheron, it is hard to tell who invented the style. The women of the 50’s would’ve worn these rings on their right hand to distinguish it from their engagement rings but today it could make the perfect engagement ring for a statement-making partner. Swirls and bow motifs were also very popular and, of course, diamonds were the gemstone of choice.