The release of The Great Gatsby has stirred a new interest in Art Deco fashion and jewelry style.

The beautiful costumes, the opulent lifestyles and parties depicted in the film have been inspiring a revival of a style that was so popular in the 1920s during the Jazz Age.

You may be asking yourself, what exactly is Art Deco?

Art Deco was a visual style that first appeared in the 1920s and flourished into the 1940s.

The hallmark of this style is the embrace of the modern machine age and mass production which was expressed visually with geometric and symmetric patterns such as polygons, sunbursts, zigzags and trapezoids in vivid and high contrast colors. This style could be seen in architecture, fine art and design as well as in fashion and jewelry.

Art Deco jewelry was inspired by the art of the American Indian, Ancient Egyptian, and Greek and Roman architecture. Art Deco jewelry motifs are characterized by geometric designs, diverse combinations of color and abstract patterns with lots of pearls, crystals and tassels.

How can you incorporate this trend into your jewelry designs?

There are a few elements that you need to keep in mind when working in this trend:

1) First remember that Art Deco was an opulent style, therefore don’t skimp on the bling and glitter. Use metallics such as gold or silver with lots of rhinestones, crystals or seed beads.

2) Symmetry and geometric lines were also important elements of Art Deco style. When making a necklace, go for either long strands of beads or pearls or a bib style with geometric elements such as triangles, trapezoids and sunbursts.

Same for earrings and bracelets. The combination of opulence and symmetry is what makes Art Deco both a challenging style to work with as well as visually stunning.

Swarovski’s new Cabochette beads and pendants are an exemplary way to incorporate crystal into your Art Deco Designs.

3) Incorporate non-Western motifs, especially Ancient Egyptian or American Indian into your patterns. This is best accomplished with weaving seed beads. The high contrast and deeply stylized quality of a lot of native art as well as exuberant bright colors not only evoke Art Deco but are both highly trendy at the moment.