Ancien Regime & Rococo

(1730-1789)

The Ancien Regime described the period of absolutist monarchy in France, which ended with the French Revolution of 1789. From around 1730, the Rococo style set the tone in jewellery and led to a preference for sumptuous pieces that relied on lavish floral designs and lavish trimmings. Find out more »

Floral motifs and rocaille: jewellery of the Ancien Régime and Rococo

Popular motifs in these pieces of jewellery were bows, garlands or floral shapes such as flowers and entire bouquets, richly set with coloured gemstones or entirely set with diamonds. Movable brooches adorned the sweeping gowns of ladies at court and exuberant, asymmetrical ornamentation was all the rage at the time. In general, fashion was oriented towards courtly life, its glamour and glitz. There was no room for the true needs of the rest of the population.

Of course, as the name suggests, the Rocaille was also found in the jewellery designs of that era. It described a mixture of shell and volute-shaped decorative elements (French rocaille = shellwork), which were characterised by their organic curves and asymmetry.

Colliers were mainly worn close to the neck, as a so-called collier de chien, often centred with large pendants that adorned the décolleté of noble ladies.

In order to emphasise the brilliance of diamonds, the most precious of all stones were primarily set in silver. Also interesting to know: in the 18th and 19th centuries, the purity of a diamond still played a subordinate role. At that time, people were primarily interested in the size of a diamond, whereas today, colour and clarity are decisive for the purchase of a diamond or diamond-set piece of jewellery.

Craftsmanship and decadence

The playful, bold designs of these pieces of jewellery, created with the finest craftsmanship, clearly show their proximity to the pleasurable decadence of everyday life. It is the joy of decorating that speaks from these pieces and still captivates us today.