It was around 1825 that the Middle Ages and the Renaissance were rediscovered and jewelry designers were inspired by them with the neo-gothic and neo-renaissance.
The Second Empire is one of the most sumptuous periods in French history : abundance, euphoria, artistic and technical creations. It is the birth of a modern France.
All types of jewelry are present, including transformable jewelry. Brooches and bracelets are worn in pairs and ornaments are king.
With the discovery in 1867 of the diamond mines of Cape Town, jewelry was no longer reserved for the upper classes.
It was then that the distinction between "joaillerie" (evening jewelry) and "bijouterie" (daytime jewelry) was born.
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