The Chicago School of Mid Century Vintage Engagement Rings

by Christopher Duquet

The Chicago School of Mid-Century Vintage Engagement RingsArt Deco Design is as relevant for the Chicago Bride as any style mentionable. In fact, Art Deco is trending in many different fields such as interior design, household goods, and even fashion design. Mid Century Style has many devoted fans and interest in keen in general. Chicago is fortunately to have a history of crafts in wood and silver during that period (the city was the center of the Arts and Crafts movement of the period) and is rich in architecture and public works which are scattered throughout the city and often amazing in scale and beauty. What a time and what energy is trapped inside this dynamic style!

Art Deco Redux by Christopher Duquet | Diamond Ring with Intricate Carve DetailThe most notable and definitive period of Mid-Century design spans the decades of the 20th century from the late 1920s through the early 1950’s. In the early 20th century, the world was a place of great change and optimism in modern man’s ability to leap forward with “mass production,” industrialization, and imagination. This was the mood of America and most of Europe during this period.

 

Art and architecture absorbed these emotions in this context, and rapidly moved from obsession with Mother Nature and delicate intricacies (art nouveau and romanticism) to a fascination with power, strength, and man made invention. Geometry, balance, bold statements of form carried the day from architecture to crafts, and even jewelry design.

From De Stijl and Bauhaus came Art Deco as an enduring and exciting graphical and physical influence on expression in many mediums. Jewelry became more geometric and bold. Square, emerald cut, trillion shaped gemstones became more popular as well as bold colors and combinations of color. Reds, greens, blacks, rose gold and platinum were common and popular in many designers’ palettes.

 

As a Chicago designer channeling the past, Art Deco Redux is our own, in house design collection that modernizes and brings forward the feel and this mid-century design ethos. The collection goes farther than the De Stijl style to an approach that can be used to create new work that adds other influences and modernizations to the original themes. Simple but beautifully balanced, art deco style is seeing resurgence in popularity and the latest technology has added lots of creative excitement.

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