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The 1940s was a strange time in history, with half of the decade affected by WWII, which had a negative impact on every aspect of life at that time, and regarding jewellery styles, many people wore the Art Deco style of clothing and jewellery. Thanks to austerity, people preferred to wear inexpensive costume jewellery, and during the war years, even the movie stars wore such jewellery, perhaps to send out an important message.
The Rise of Costume Jewellery
The Second World War was the reason costume jewellery became so popular, as it was colorful, durable, and inexpensive, and the wealthy women in the US wore these colorful items, rather than wearing their real jewellery, as robbery was always on their mind. Even within costume jewellery, there are several layers of quality, with some using semi-precious stones, while cheaper versions used any available stones and metal.
The Art Deco Period
While this began in the late 1920s, the fashion remained popular, with bold geometric lines and rich colors, and as costume jewellery is relatively cheap, this worked during the World War II years, when gold and precious stones were not widely available. Art Deco jewellery was worn on special occasions during the war years, and plastic began to be used when creating jewellery, which suited the Art Deco style. If you search online for an antique dealer, you can find a reputable dealer with a fine collection of antique jewellery at LoveAntiques.com, which has a great selection of antique and vintage jewellery at affordable prices.
Charm Bracelets
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The charm bracelet became very popular, as wives and girlfriends made these out of metal and plastic, with the aim of protecting the wearer from the very obvious dangers that soldiers faced. Many soldiers kept such an item on their body for the entire time they were at the front, while others wore something around their neck for the very same reason.
ID Bracelets
As all soldiers wore their tags for ID purposes, ID bracelets were a common jewellery item in the post-war days, which were made from a thin silver chain with a small rectangular piece that has the person’s name on one side.
Gold Plating
As gold was very expensive in the 1940s, people would have brass or copper gold plated, while sterling silver also became very popular for jewellery. It was possible to buy bracelets and necklaces that were gold-plated, with mainly 9k gold being used for the plating, while brass and nickel were also used.
Online Solutions
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If you would like to view a catalog of 1940s jewellery, search online for an established antique dealer, where you can see many fine items, and as you are buying from a reputable dealer, you can be sure the pieces are in fact, genuine. You can view online jewellery pieces at your leisure and when you find exactly what you are looking for, a secure online payment will see the item packaged and despatched to your home address.
