Art Nouveau

In reaction to jewellery as a display of wealth and the uniformity of contemporary design the Arts and Crafts Society was founded by William Morris in 1887, followed by groups of goldsmiths such as Henry Wilson and C.R. Ashbee working independently for a clientèle drawn from the intelligentsia.

Led by René Lalique, jewellers of the French Art Nouveau group had similar ideals, seeking inspiration from nature rather than history, with an emphasis on artistic settings rather than intrinsic value and introduced new materials such as horn and the technique of “window” or translucid enamelling.