Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Jewelry through the Ages: Christie's Jewelry Auctions

As if I don't already have enough research to do for my own work/school, I seem to enjoy finding more and more things to obsessively pore over...lately, I have been interested in learning more about antique jewelry, and I have discovered that auction websites are a great way to find out information and peruse beautiful images of all manner of gorgeous bobbles from bygone eras. If you are blessed with having more money than God, you can buy practically any kind of jewelry (from antiquity to present day) at Christie's Auction House. I love looking through their online catalogs and pondering over which time period produced my favorite jewelry styles. I have not come to any decision, though I do tend to be partial to Art Nouveau and Art Deco. They are all so special -- which do you prefer?

Christie's recently sold a huge lot of ancient jewelry [2nd and 3rd century B.C.]. It somehow seems so modern:










Belle Epoque Jewelry [1910's]. Filled with diamonds and very girly and ethereal:



Art Nouveau [1890's - early 20th century]. Organic, whimsical, and intricate:





Art Deco [1920's]. There is such an architectural feel to these pieces, and the colors are rich:





Vintage 1940's. Colorful and fun -- a mix of previous decades: