Style Watch: Mad Men

Saturday 10th March 2012

The much-anticipated fifth season of the hit series Mad Men started the 27^th of March. In its honour we take a closer look at jewellery of that era.

Jewellery of the 1960s is characterized by bold forms, bright colours and abstract patterns, all imbibed with a vibrant glamour.  This style was very much mirrored in the art of the day--namely Pop Art, with its blocks of colour and glitzy subject matter, such as Warhol’s portraits of Marilyn Monroe and Lichtenstein’s comics.

A carryover from the previous decade, high fashion remained quite prim, as seen on the likes of Jacqueline Kennedy and Queen Elizabeth, silhouettes which are still very much considered classics today, as is the jewellery designed to go along with it.  Contrasting coloured gems and abstracted forms feature in the large-scale jewels of this decade, often available in coordinated sets of earrings, rings, bracelets and brooches.

As seen in Mad Men, cocktails were often a part of the high life, and as a result so was the cocktail ring.  Not to be overlooked, men’s luxury items were also en vogue in the sixties.  The development of the businessman as an icon of the era was reflected in the wide array of cufflinks available, produced by the top jewellers such as Mauboussin, Cartier and Bulgari. Drinking as well as smoking accessories followed suit made for men and women alike, such as swizzle sticks, cigarette holders and cases.