The History Behind … 1970s Style

With the big, bold yellow gold jewelry of the ‘70s making a comeback, National Jeweler takes a look back at the social and cultural forces that originally shaped this decade of design.

Michelle Graff michelle.graff@nationaljeweler.com

New York--The 1970s is a decade that never seems to go out of style.

This fall, the fashion runways in New York were full of fringe, suede and flares plus plenty of autumnal colors, and jewelry is following suit.

This 18-karat yellow gold and diamond pavé cuff by New York designer Fern Freeman is a modern piece but contains two elements oft-used in ‘70s style: yellow gold and fringe.

Yellow gold is back in a big way--illustrated by both large, gold links and more delicate pieces with fringe--turquoise can been seen in a lot of pieces and there’s a definite penchant for layering, even if the price of gold today has dramatically reduced the size of chains and pendants for most people.

Patricia Faber, who co-owns New York City’s Aaron Faber Gallery with her husband, took the time to tell us about one very fun era in fashion.

What shaped the aesthetic of jewelry in the 1970s?

“I think it was driven by counterculture,” Faber said, meaning: Woodstock, LSD, rock music and people protesting against the war and pushing for civil rights.

“Counterculture people, the rock stars, were not buying high fashion, but high fashion started to look like what they were wearing. They were influencing [it].”

Yes, there was still bridal jewelry and traditional fine jewelry being made, but in the early 1970s there was also the mainstream acceptance of the youth movement, the hippie subculture, that began in isolated pockets in the mid-1960s.

For example, Chanel came out with a long, flowy printed dress that looked like what hippies wore to the beach or to outdoor concerts like Woodstock.

As the decade wore on, clothing became more tailored but there were still bold color combinations, flared pants and loud prints (perhaps due in part to the LSD); think Pucci and the patterns on Diane Von Furstenberg’s then-new creation, the wrap dress.

Jewelry had to be bold to stand out against all the styles of this era, resulting in thick yellow gold chains worn in layers, brightly colored gemstones like turquoise and long beaded necklaces.

What else was popular during this era?

Faber said the 1970s was also a time when jewelry artists were creating really large pieces.

“Nobody,” she said, “was afraid to be bold.”

David Webb and his outstanding animal cuffs were popular alongside well-known brands like Boucheron and Bulgari.

There were also the big rings of London-based designer Andrew Grima, Cartier’s Aldo Cipullo creating chunky necklaces set with stones like jade and carnelian alongside the smaller gold pieces he’s so well known for, and Vivianna Torun making giant pieces under the Georg Jensen brand.

Banner will be right here …

Donning big, bold jewels--including extremely oversized pieces of body jewelry--was a way of expressing oneself and experimenting with body decoration, much in the way that tattoos are used today.

“In jewelry, there were a lot of really wild pieces that were designed and made” in the 1970s, Faber said.

What gemstones and metals were popular?

People wanted big, bold gemstones to stand out against their flowy outfits and loud prints, and that’s what they got.

Turquoise was widely used, as were malachite and lapis lazuli, with Faber noting, “When you are working in a large scale, something that is less expensive is desirable.”

As for metals, the decade was all about yellow gold, as the metal enjoyed continued popularity from the ‘60s. Faber said the warm hue fit in with the autumnal colors, the oranges and the browns, that dominated interior design in that era.