The 1950s was the decade of ‘youth’ and gave birth to youth culture as we know it today.

Generations before had dealt with world wars, hardship and class divide as part of their day to day growing up. In the early 1900s it was still common for children of the lower classes to go out to work and earn money, their childhood cut short by the need to survive.

This all changed after the second world war and the 1950s became a time to celebrate youth, a fresh start in life and all it had to offer.

This was also the start of mass consumerism and of course alongside that advertising. Think Mad Men and the fabulous 1950s style and 1950s jewellery worn by the cast.

The use of colour became so important during this time and it became a symbol of this optimistic new future.

Access to materials and print were affordable and no longer the realm of the upper classes and so pastels and pretty colours were embraced by this new generation.

This followed through from 1950s fashion and dress to the bold and vivid interiors of their houses and to the cinema and television. 

Floral prints in the home became truly popular in the 1950s with chintz and kitch being the words we would associate with that time, so bold floral patterns then burst into drapery and soft furnishings.

It also saw the birth of true ready to wear fashion and larger production of household goods and apparel.

Think fabulous floral 1950s dresses with big full puff skirts and nipped in waists. These were all the rage for a twenty something and perfect for catching the eye of the boys.

Flowers symbolised youth (freshness, innocence and health) they were bold, bright and cheerful and were in complete opposite of the dreary dark days gone before, marred by war.

This new trend then filtered down into costume jewellery which by then was affordable and easily accessible. Mostly made from Paste (Paste is glass that has been cut to look like a gem). 1950s jewellery was fun and frivolous with strong designs and glamour and often floral inspired.

Famous jewellery designers of the 1950s such as costume jewellery pioneer Miriam Haskell incorporated natural elements such as flora and fauna into her designs bringing them alive with delicate and intricate detailing. The focus was on the flower and the design trailed out from that.

1950s jewellery design lead the way to everyday wear. So design moved away from heavy jewels and crystals to fresh new shapes and colours that could be worn out and about all day.

Florals ticked a lot of those boxes so were a popular choice of focus and ones that would beautifully compliment the fashion and style of the time.

Clip on earrings were extremely popular too in the 1950s with more comfortable and wearable backs that would allow the housewife to pop them on and off between her dusting duties.

1950s jewellery was designed to show off and make a statement, it was no longer in bad taste to flaunt your looks and your style in public as had been in the 1940s this was a time to see and be seen.

1950s necklaces were more embellished and often the pendant became larger and covered a larger area around the neck and this again leant itself very well to trailing floral designs that could climb around the neck and collar bone area.

Our recent floral 1950s jewellery collection started when our designer and founder Rachel Lovett took a trip up to Halifax to visit a customer and she spied this stunning hand painted floral bracelet tucked away in a little antique shop.

Drawn in by the colour and sheer craftsmanship of the design she took it back to Brighton where she started to design this 1950s jewellery capsule collection of beautiful hand painted floral earrings, necklaces and hair clips. Rachel was very particular that the flowers should be graduated in colour to give them a totally realistic look and feel.

This is the way in which Rachel designs all her collections it all starts with just one piece or a trip to an inspiring location and then the designs flow from that.

Getting the right balance of vintage and modern is also crucial in making something totally unique for our customers