After the Second World War, the world was reinventing itself and celebrating life. Society was changing and so were gender roles, with women having a stronger position after doing their bit for the war effort.  The party like looks of the Art Deco era - full of  glitzy, big screen glamour and long silky dresses - was replaced by a stronger, sexier aesthetic that included sharp, tailored suits and trousers. In line with this bolder style (think Katherine Hepburn and Heddy Lammar) jewellery also became much stronger, bigger and more colourful.

During and after the war, expensive materials like gold and precious gems were hard to come by, so synthetic and semi precious gemstones became popular. Amethysts, peridot, tourmaline, citrine, aquamarine and topaz all providing a colourful, affordable alternative to more costly stones. For those who could afford diamonds, the jewels were often paired  with less precious stones for a fun and colourful effect.

Jewellery of the era typically included plastic, glass, synthetic stones, silver, enamel and even wood, and because so much platinum had been rationed for military use during the war, a material known as palladium was often used instead.  Gold was still very popular,  but also in short supply, so jewellery makers created bulky, chunky, hallowed out styles such as snake chains which required less gold - and were therefore much cheaper to make.

Nature was a common theme in Retro jewellery, with animals, birds,  plants and flowers all appearing often.  Wealthy women chose to show their position in the world through jewellery that featured big, bejewelled cats, such as Cartier’s famous panther. These designs were often brought to life through special effects that made wings and petals vibrate and tremble with every step.  There were lots of love tokens and lockets around - a definite nod to wartime romances - while much of the designs reflected the machine age and war, such as tank treads and gas pipes.