Short for the French word Arts Décoratifs and sometimes just called Deco, this period in time was a style of visual arts, architecture and design that first appeared in France just before World War 1 but didn't really flourish until the 1920's. The Art Deco name was fully initiated after the 1925 Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes (International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts) held in Paris. We see the Deco influence span deep in society, from large structures to small objects including but not limited to clothing, fashion and jewelry. Art Deco has influenced bridges, buildings, ocean liners, cars, furniture and even vacuum cleaners! In the jewelry sector, this period was modernizing and refining elements from the Edwardian and Art Nouveau periods while embracing modernism and the machine age. We see the abolishment of delicate, feminine flowing lines and designs returning to their rudimentary geometric forms essentially eliminating any unnecessary ornament like dangling pearls and loud, colorful enamel. Bold, clean, geometric lines encompass the spirit of Art Deco jewelry and we can understand why the term "Cubism" was often used to describe pieces from this period. We see diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, rubies, jadeite, rock crystal quartz, black onyx coral and so much more in jewelry from this era with platinum being the main focus as a substrate. Themes and motifs are vast with influences from India, Persia and other parts of the world. We see a lot of Art Deco inspiration still being used today in jewelry and other sectors of the world that require immaculate detail and design.