A Guide to Mid-Century Jewellery

Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Elizabeth Taylor all epitomise the indulgent femininity that typifies the 50s trend. As a 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. The 50s fashion was for a bold hourglass 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 – with a similar mix between boldness and curved femininity.

Materials: diamonds are 50s jewellery best friend

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 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”.

Team USA: 50’s jewellery design has a new competitor

Paris still remained the centre of fine 50s jewellery with Cartier, Sterlé and Van Cleef & Arpels still the pinnacles of fashion. Powerhouses redesigned their best pre-war pieces for their new middle class clientele but in a softer tone; sensuous curves replaced strong angular lines.

BUT the 50s saw the rise of American jewellers. Harry Winston was making his mark from New York. So too was Jean Shlumberger for Tiffany. The American brand had its big movie-moment in 1961 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: 50s fashion for bigger and better

The themes and motifs in 50s jewellery echoed previous decades – only new and improved and big. There was still a fashion for wildlife – including Cartier’s reimagined iconic panther brooch. Flora and fauna was as celebrated as ever, with single flowers or bejewelled bouquets.

1950s Jewellery Must-Haves

Brooches

…were the height of 1950s 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 ears 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 of 50s fashion.

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 50s trend for new low necklines, or décolleté. 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 fastening or two.

Rings

…remained big and bold but the lines were softer than Retro and Art Deco styles. Cocktail rings were the craze. especially the Ballerina Ring – named after the ballerina’s tutu it sought to recreate. Gemstones surround a large centre stone to create a tutu’s frill.

The women of the 50s would have worn these rings on their right hand to distinguish it from their wedding rings but today they could make the perfect engagement ring for a statement-making partner.

Explore other eras

• A Guide to Georgian Jewellery
• A Guide to Edwardian Jewellery
• A Guide to Art Nouveau Jewellery
• A Guide to Art Deco Jewellery
• A Guide to Retro Jewellery
• A Guide to Modern Jewellery: 80s & 90s