Pair of Art Deco Clip Brooches by Cartier, Paris, circa 1930
Pair of Art Deco Clip Brooches by Cartier, Paris, circa 1930
A pair of clip brooches in the form of folded and fringed fabric, each composed of pavé-set round brilliant-cut diamonds accented by a fringe of baguette-cut diamonds; mounted in platinum; in a fitted box
Biography
Cartier was founded in Paris in 1847 by Louis-François Cartier. His three grandsons, Louis, Pierre, and Jacques, built the house into a famous international jewelry empire serving royalty, Hollywood stars, and socialites. Cartier has created some of the most important jewelry and objects of art of the twentieth century with many iconic designs such as mystery clocks, Tutti Frutti jewelry and the Panthère line. In 1983, (e Cartier Collection was established with the objective of acquiring important pieces that trace the firm’s artistic evolution. Today, Cartier has 200 stores in 125 countries.
Significance
After World War I, social and technological changes in,uenced fashion and jewelry design. (e elaborate dresses and restricted hourglass figure popular with women at the turn of the century was replaced with the ,apper look— comfortable drop-waist daytime dresses with raised hemlines and long A-line sleeveless dresses with revealing necklines for the evening. (e new fashions were simpler than previous eras allowing for ease of movement and focusing on sumptuous materials and interesting draping or monotone beadwork that created the perfect backdrop for the new jewels of the era. (e dress clip became the essential jewel in the 1920s and 1930s. Women were drawn to the versatility of the jewel, clipping them to necklines, shoulders, lapels, handbags, the hair, or even the sleve of a coat, over the wrist.
(is pair of diamond and platinum Cartier clips adopts a motif of folded fringed fabric. (e designers cleverly and subtly indicated the fold with a line of platinum, creating a feeling of movement. A variety of stone cuts were used to create visual interest within the all-white jewel and to indicate the fringe, further highlighting the fabric-like feel of the jewel.
Created around 1930, when the bold colors of the earlier Art Deco period were replaced by sophisticated jewels in all white, this Cartier dress clip pair would be beautiful clipped to any neckline and could be worn alone, in a pair, or layered with other diamond jewelry.
