Comparing and contrasting the developments and changes of jewels and its application in modern design

1 The classification of gems

There are many kinds of gems in the world.According to Donald，Gems are always classified into two categories： diamonds and colored stones.In order to design，modern people give color gems personalized division.Therefore，we can see that different gems have different style，appealing to different people.In addition，every gem has its unique meaning.Many color gems have their own interesting history，which is related to royal family’s wisdom.Nowadays，jewels are not all the exclusive products of the Royal aristocracy，there is a gem almost for everybody.

2 Comparing with western design and development

When it comes to gems，the word women occurs to me.Jewelry is woman’s symbol.Both Chinese and Western women，modern and contemporary women like adorn jewelry.Comparing with Chinese traditional jewelry，the style change of western modern women jewelry has the following four stages： Art Nouveau style （about 1880—1910），Edwardian style （about 1900—1910），Art Deco style （about 1920—1940），Contracted style （after 1990）.

2.1 Art Nouveau style （about 1880—1910）

Art Nouveau style is a transition from the luxury style of the royal family to the refreshing style of the small crowd，therefore，the common materials of the ornaments are Enamel，gold，silver，pearl，color jewel.Art Nouveau style is the extreme aesthetics of fantasy，using flowers and insects as subjects and making many kinds of exaggerated shapes and colorful colors.

2.2 Edwardian style （about 1900—1910）

In the Edwardian style period，designers always use Pearls，platinum and diamonds three elements’ combination.This style makes the pearl looks more delicate and elegant，highlighting the advantages of the pearl.When woman saw it，she will first see the pearls，so this collocation highlights the nobility of the Pearl.The collocation of pearls and diamonds with platinum ring is very beautiful and simple.Within Both the Art Nouveau style and the Edwardian style，jewelry always has many kinds of elements.

2.3 Art Deco style （about 1920—1940）

After Edwardian style period is Art Deco style period.Long string of pearls is regarded as a symbol of nobility，revealing the sense of maturity.The British Royal aristocracy always regards pearl necklaces as reverence，wearing is very exquisite.This period makes long pearl necklace become the new fashion，when women wanted their jewelry has as much pearl as possible，and almost every woman has a long pearl necklace.

2.4 Contracted style （after 1990）

After year 1990，as the closest period，more and more women liked contracted style.A lot of women reduced the novelty of complex jewelry，follow the simple appearance to highlight the texture of the pearl.Designers always only use simple ornamental with pearls.Although only have one pearl，it can make pearl go back to the original visual perception.

3 How jewelry influence modern design.

Both Chinese and Western jewels have gone through a variety of developments.From the four period of development mentioned above，we can realize that jewelry has undergone a change from complex to simple style.Today the world is in the stage of integration，and there is no big difference in the style of jewelry at all places，so the changes in the style of jewelry as mentioned above had a great impact on it.The current jewels’ design trend continues the style of the last period，Contracted style，it does not pursue luxury and complexity，but combines jewelry and other materials to form creative shapes.

4 Conclusion

In general，the most important thing this article is to contrast jewels with the development and change of Western jewelry，and further study the development and change of jewelry，thus extend to the contemporary jewelry design style.But no matter past or present，the jewelry advertising is same，it’s displaying the quality and luxury of the jewels.One thing is for sure，Jewelry is an item that will never be out of date，and it worth further research and exploration.

作者簡介

朱美润（1998.07.04—），女，汉族，黑龙江省巴彦县人，大学本科，研究方向：广告营销与策划。