The Art Nouveau style began at 1880. “Art Nouveau” in French means a new art. This term itself comes from the name of the Parisian shop-museum "Maison Bing, L'Art Nouveau" (owner - Samuel Bing). The Art Nouveau style became the last embodiment of the ideals of romanticism in artistic creation. Arose in Paris it quickly spread throughout and became the latest artistic style common to Europe and the USA at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The Art Nouveau era is considered to be the beginning of the design era. This was the time when an idea becomes more valuable than gold. The cost of author's jewelry is an order of magnitude higher than the cost of a serial product. So, Art Nouveau rings for sale are always in demand today.

Typical attribute of Art Nouveau rings antique are flowing forms. Art Nouveau jewelry for sale often reproduces of some whimsical Ivy, lilies, irises and water lilies, butterflies and predatory insects, asymmetrical floral and animalistic decoration. It was embodied by Rene Lalique – insightful entrepreneur genius of the Art Nouveau jewelry world and marketing. His main three subjects are woman (femme), flora and fauna. When he became interested in jewelry, he experimented a lot with glass. Along with precious metals and stones, he began to use ivory, tortoise shell, and horns. With the materials unusual for jewelry, he could convey the texture of plants and depict animals. He also experimented with enamel, amber, semi-precious stones, "irregular shapes". 

^{Rene Lalique. Middle of a necklace "Anemone". 1900. Source: common.wikimedia}

Rene Lalique. Necklace

The most outstanding jewelry for the jewelry house of Georges Fouquet was created by the famous artist Alphonse Mucha. Water lilies and sweet peas appear in brooches and bracelets alongside graceful virgins entangled in their own braids – the most replicated image in Alphonse Mucha jewelry.

The art of Art Nouveau style existed from the middle of the 19th century at the beginning of the First World War. The Art Nouveau era ran parallel to the Victorian, and in the last, Edwardian era. But it flowed faster and its traces in jewelry art are more noticeable. Antique art nouveau jewelry often turned out to be a prototype of all the most progressive modern currents. The main means of expressiveness in the Art Nouveau style is ornament, which not only decorates the work, but also forms its compositional structure. 

Jewelry of this style does not pretend to be status accessories, but should serve as an expression of the sensual nature of the person who wears or gives them. Therefore, precious stones of the first row were either unavailable to jewelers, or were not needed at all. But looking on some Art Nouveau rings antique, earrings, necklace or Art Nouveau pendant or filigree it clearly understands that the formality of diamonds from the point of view of Art Nouveau has given way to the richness of colors of opals, moonstone, chalcedony, tourmaline, amethyst, aquamarine, topaz, green garnets. Of course, diamonds were used, but only as an element of decor.

^{Cover image: Rene Lalique. Necklace designed for Lalique's second wife, Alice Ledru, ca 1897–99. Source: wikipedia}