The Art Nouveau Era was a very short lived but important aesthetic movement at the turn of the 19th century (1895-1915).  For about twenty years, artists embraced free flowing lines and nature inspired motifs in everything from jewelry to buildings to furniture to artwork.  Book covers, stairwells, and magazines were all covered with the iconic flowing lines specific to this style.  The movement was eventually named after Siegfried Bing's gallery in Paris that opened in 1895 entitled Maison de l'Art Nouveau.  

The promising gallery Bing founded featured innovative and "new" artwork that was characteristic of the later named Art Nouveau style, so after the gallery was a success, it inspired the name for the entire movement in France. The jewelry from this era is also referred to as Arts & Crafts (American), Jugendstil (German), Liberty style (English), Secession, and others depending on the country of origin.

The design movement was heavily inspired by the simplicity of Eastern design which the world was introduced to on a large scale through trade in the 1860's as well as through the International Exhibition of 1862 in London.  Goldsmiths and jewelry designers in particular took great pride in perfecting their skill which can be seen in the meticulous renderings of flowers and other motifs that look life like.  Likewise, jewelry designers that worked within this design movement tended to focus more on skill than material.  They avoided using more expensive materials like diamonds and platinum that other jewelry designers used while crafting pieces in the Belle Epoque style.

Because of the incredible artistry behind pieces, today an Art Nouveau piece of jewelry from a well known designer often sells for significantly more than a large diamond piece from the Belle Epoque era even though the intrinsic value of the Belle Epoque piece is much greater. 

Though the movement didn't last for a long period of time, it acted as a segue between the Victorian era which had much more elaborate and heavy jewelry and the modern and simple style movements that followed including the Art Deco and Retro eras.  Art Nouveau remains a favorite among many collectors that are lucky enough to find original signed pieces. 

It's important to mention that because of the resurgence in popularity with the Art Nouveau style, there are a lot of reproductions out there, some that are labeled and sold as such and others that are made with the intention of deceiving the buyer.  Many were crafted in the 1960's and there are a lot today. Masriera is a jewelry house that creates beautiful and expensive replicas of Lluis Masriera's original work.  It is very rare that you would stumble across a piece of authentic designer Art Nouveau jewelry as most are already in prestigious private collections or in museums. However, there are a lot of unsigned original Art Nouveau pieces featuring all the beautiful motifs of the period.  Take any piece of Art Nouveau jewelry to a skilled antique jewelry appraiser or dealer to be able to authentic your heirloom.  

Some Important Designers from the Art Nouveau Era:

• René Lalique (1860-1945) 
• Georges Fouquet (1862-1957)
• Lucien Gaillard (1861-1942) 
• Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933)
• Lluis Masriera (1872-1958)

Common Jewelry Motifs:

• Dragonflies
• Exotic flowers
• Women with free flowing hair and clothing
• Curling lines 
• Wings
• Gothic looking creatures (lions, griffins, bats, snakes, owls, etc.)

Common Materials Used:

• Yellow Gold
• Silver
• Pearl
• Enameling (see: plique-a-jour)
• Moonstone
• Opal
• Semi Precious gems like period and amethyst
• Organic material like horn, coral, and ivory