The Permanent Influence of Retro Jewelry

The Permanent Influence of Retro Jewelry

The influence of retro style on modern jewelry and fashion is unfading in today’s fast-trending world. The retro period married optimistic visions of the future with nostalgia from the past, creating a wide palette of inspiration for women to pick and choose from.

Here, Frank Pollak & Sons unearths the origins behind this retro jewelry style.

America saw a shift in the political and industrial landscape during the 40s and 50s as companies bolstered wartime efforts through the recruitment of an eager-to-serve workforce which included women. To balance their feminine natures, designers used yellow, rose, and green gold alloys to create repetitive geometric patterns resembling tank treads and assembly line production mechanisms. During World War II, there was a restriction on platinum production, and so very few designers used the material in their designs.

The “make do” attitude of the war effort pressed upon women feminine ideals of sacrifice as surplus materials and labor were saved solely for machine, weapon, and war amenity production. As a result, women were left very little to the imagination because new fashion was seldom produced. Instead, they “made do” with very cut and dry, masculine styles of dress. Their creativity came in the form of old Hollywood-styled brooches and clips which they clipped to hats and headbands, gold chain-linked watches, and bold sapphire statement rings with delicate stone designs that they accessorized with military jackets, long, narrow skirts, and masculine pantsuits worn for utility first, and fashion second.

After the war, rich fabrics were reincorporated into women’s clothing design, and color came back in bloom. Women ditched their low-heeled wedges for towering showstoppers, and the retro modern style of jewelry, as it is known as today, remained.

Everything has a history, and our job at Frank Pollak & Sons is to find the hidden value in your beloved heirloom pieces of vintage and modern jewelry. Learn more about the story behind your possessions by giving us a call at 1.800.342.3878 today!

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