Nouveau Jewelry

since the turn of the XIX century; Modernism. Also known elsewhere

as Art Nouveau, Modern Style, Style Liberty, Style 1900 and

Its origins can be found in  England where influencies of the

Aesthetic Movement between

1870 and 1880. This was a

prelude to Art Nouveau. The first

modernist works do not appear

until the second half of the 1880’s

and it was not until the following

decade that the style found

its expression in the buildings

of archithects like the Belgians

Horta and Van de Velde,

the Frenchman Guimard,

the German Endell, the Austrians

Wagner, Hoffmann and Olbrich

also be seen in the work of

craftsmen such as F. Gallé in

France and Tiffany in America.

Lalique, one of the best known

exponents of this movement

in France, delighted Paris with his

jewellry and was the indisputable

star of the Universal Exhibition

in 1900.

This style was basically derived

from the pre-Rafaelites and

Simbolism, characterised by the

predominance of the curve over

the straight line, a richness in

detail, the frequent use of

vegetable motifs, its propensity

for asymmetiy its refined

aesthetics and its dynamic shapes.

The ornament has its own

brilliance, It is further seen in

furniture and all kinds of objects.

Its volume yields to the sensual

vibration of its lines, thus bringing

out the outlines which turn and

of Modernism. The vegetable

theme is hinted at by the colour.

Modemism can not be conceived

without the vital role of colour.

In architecture it can be found in

multicoloured façades with bright

ceramic ornaments and stained

glass windows. However

it is seen in aI.I artistic genres

in which colour is rediscovered

since it does not have a purely

descriptive function; it is an

independent form of expression

and thus becomes a stylistic tool.

Catalan Modernism has

drawn from the experiences

its source of inspiration together

with asymmetry and

three-dimensional shapes.

Barcelona, a cosmopolitan city

and open to all the latest trends,

welcomed this movement

wholeheartedly and made it its

own. Its streets filled with

buildings like “La casa Batlló”,

“La Pedrera” or “el Palau

de Ia Musical Catalana”

and in the heart of the city

Gaudi, our universally known

architect designed the cathedral

of Modernism: “La Sagrada

Familia”.

Today, at the gates of the 21st

century that expressive artistic

movement still survives in the

Mediterranean capital. So, three

generations later, the designer

Pere Arquer —through Nouveau

1910—introduces his collection.

In addition to the value of the

precious stones he adds artistic

merit. His jewels are like

a painting, with a figurative and

a descriptive function always

Combining “the poetic” with an

exquisite beauty. His stained glass

“plique a jour”, also internationally

known as Barcelona stained glass

and his enamels are impregnated

on medium colours that radiate a

mysterious energy. Soft foliaceous

shapes climbing up the body of a

nymph holding a precious stone

in her hands with an indescribable

lightness. He shares with the

artists of Art Nouveau

unconventional motifs; lifelike

plants and flowers, hermafrodites

inspired by mythology, girls’ bodies

and faces with a serene beauty,

mermaids and fabulous dragons...

And so let’s cast our gaze on

these works of art and let our

imagination fly in the certainty

that we will return to the eternal

spiritual values.

ThIs line of jeweler is basically

made using the same techniques

as the craftsmen of the old Art

Nouveau epoch.

All the processes carried out

involve the craftsmanship and

knowledge of the best experts in

each specialty: the jeweler using

his chisel, the enameller making

the “plique a jour” and the

enamel on the gold, the stone

setter, etc... Therefore the sizes and

the colors of the enamel might

vary slightly. Probably, the most

distinctive technique that stamps

its personality on these pieces

is the enamel, both the

“plique a jour” and the enamel

on the gold.

The enamel is essentially made

up of a special glass in which

some metallic oxides are then

added at very high temperatures.

These oxides form the color.

For example, the cobalt oxide

gives the blue while the iron oxide

is responsible for the reddish

tones. The material obtained

is ground in an agate bowl.

To obtain a good “plique a jour”

we have to fill the small windows

with the enamel paste and bake

it several times (up to 20 or more)

in a special oven that reaches

1.000 degrees Celcius, giving

the desired tones between

re-heating. After this sequence,

the enamel finally gets

its toughness and color.

Due to the fad that all proces-

ses are made by hand, the sizes

and weights of the jewels and

the color of the enamels may