Our Staff Picks

Mike’s Picks

Mike’s favorite periods are the Edwardian and Art Deco periods (1901-1935). Edwardian due to the use of platinum, for the 1^st time, pearls and diamonds- most of the jewelry is monochromatic and very light and floral in design with a lot of negative/ open space. Art Deco on the other hand is very geometric in design, commonly diamonds with small pops of colored stone accents. To Mike, there is no other jeweler that comes to mind for these 2 periods as Cartier as the quintessential designer of these times. Of course, there were other great jewelry houses of the time but to him, Cartier is the most iconic.

Another reason this time frame is tops on his list is the way diamonds were cut, by hand, and for candlelight. During these two periods, the most common diamond cuts for round shapes is single-cut and old European cut diamonds. In the art deco period, we see new shapes in diamonds and colored stones that mimic the geometric shapes of the period, with the introduction of square cut stones, such as Asscher cuts, baguette cuts as well as Calibre cut stones (custom cut stones to fill voids in space). Another aspect of art deco jewelry that cannot be overlooked is the Egyptian revival sub-period when the tomb of King Tutankhamun was discovered.