Jewel__A_Celebration_of_Earth_s_Treasures

JEWELLERY SHOPPING 249

Alphonse Mucha’s shop interior was a celebration of beauty within

nature, with vividly-coloured stained-glass panels adorning the walls, and two

spectacular peacock sculptures surveying the room. The room’s curved lines

and jewel-toned colours perfectly complement Fouquet’s pieces.

Jewellery shopping

T

he Industrial Revolution changed the way

people bought jewellery. Although many

pieces were still made by hand, the spread

of mass production brought jewellery within

the reach of the new middle class, and many

designers opened shops to sell their pieces to the

general public for the first time. The Art Nouveau

movement, with its focus on using gems for their

pleasing aesthetics, not necessarily for their value,

also helped to make jewellery more affordable.

This can be seen in the work of Parisian designer

Georges Fouquet, whose spectacular store on the

Rue Royale offered a luxurious shopping experience

for the public. The splendid interior, created by

Alphonse Mucha, harmonized perfectly with

Fouquet’s pieces. Jewellery was placed in bubble-

shaped display cases, and Mucha skilfully weaved

strong, opaque colours throughout the room to

emphasize the gemstones.

Carved

chalcedony

Emerald and

gold halo

Circular-cut rubies

Georges Fouquet

and Alphonse Mucha

brooch, c.1900

Pendant designed

by Georges Fouquet,

late 1800s

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