…all the Hollywood starlets and all their diamond bangles
Stack ’em high and watch ’em fly! Well, unlike merchandising shoddy products or affordable bargains in a high pile, these small gems are everything but cheap. And I brazenly crown Myrna Loy the Queen of stacked diamond bangles…
During the art deco period, diamond bangles emerged as the “it” piece of jewellery. Fashion, architecture, furniture and decorative arts were evolving rapidly and the jewellery designers embraced clean lines, geometric shapes and a fascination with industrial and technical progress.
In this aesthetics revolution, these gemstone bracelets fit right in. Modern, elegant, luxurious and bold.
Prized for its strength and ability to hold delicate and detailed settings, platinum became the metal of choice. Diamonds, often set alongside onyx, emeralds, rubies or sapphires added brilliance and contrast.
Costume jewelry and the silver screen
It should be mentioned that sparkling jewelry rose in popularity during the 1920s and 1930s, alongside the rise of the silver screen. Black and white movies showcased clear gemstones and crystals far better than colored stones, as they stood out much more prominently and prolifically on screen.
And, maybe it also should be mentioned that not everything that glittered, was the realthing. This was also a period when costume jewelry became a fashion staple. Quite often produced using paste – a material made by heating ground glass with other elements to create imitation gemstones.
The close fit of the bracelets on the wrist, often seen in photos from the period, also has an explanation. It is said that the movie studios wanted to avoid unwanted noise from bracelets, bangles and other pieces clanking together during filming. As a result, to minimize movement the bracelets were often worn more tightly on the wrist.
The real deal
But luckily, for us today, the silver screen sirens of the 1920s and 1930s loved their diamonds. The bangles became symbols of sophistication, star power and independence and the movie stars happily flaunted them in their studio glamour shots.
Thank you, ladies! I mean, how else would we be able to observe so many different styles of these bangles today?!
Alla Nazimova was a Russian-born American actress, director, producer and screenwriter in “Salome”, 1922 and Paulette Goddard with her emerald and diamond bangle by Trabert & Hoeffer–Mauboussin, circa 1939.
Gloria Swanson in her famous Cartier bracelets made of rock crystal and diamonds on platinum.
More bracelets, more Gloria Swanson. In the latter photo as Norma Desmond in “Sunset Boulevard”.
Alice Brady and Myrna Loy.
But let’s end thrice in a single color…
Not really a stack but when famous Hollywood bracelets are mentioned it is hard not go all in Dietrich.
Both her Jarretière ruby and diamond bracelet from Van Cleef & Arpels from 1937 and the two emerald bracelets she owned are magnificent.
If I understand it right, the larger of the emerald bracelets are from Trabert & Hoefer-Mauboussin and set with a 127-carat cabochon emerald. The smaller one (well!) is a bracelet from Paul Flato. Flato designed the bracelet so that the emerald could be taken out and set into other jewelry pieces.
But let us not either forget her beautiful peridot set from 1934. It is well worth an extra glance.
Marlene – who’s mother, came from a family who owned a jewelry- and clock-making firm – in color.
Marlene in her two emerald bracelets. Trabert & Hoefer-Mauboussin and Paul Flato designs.
All photos found online.
©SlowClapStories
Originally published on Substack at Slow Clap Jewels. Read the newsletter here.
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