The jewelry of modern times has developed along the lines of eclecticism, the general trend being toward gracefulness and delicacy. In Italy the Castellanis in the first half of the 19th century renewed the use of the granulated gold ornamentation of the finest Etruscan jewelry, and somewhat later Lucien Falize, who flour ished during the Second Empire in France, con tributed much to the success of the modern movement. Whatever may be the inevitable errors resulting from the striving after novel effects, the tendency has been, on the whole, to maintain all that is best in the examples of classic as well as of Renaissance art, while welcoming such original forms as recommend themselves because of their tastefulness and beauty. Probably no single name has been so freely mentioned in connection with modern French jewelry as that of Rene Lalique, and the °Art Nouveaux' style, despite some vagaries, has found favor both in Europe and America. Indeed, it may truly be said that the jeweler's art was never more international than it is to-day, and in no age has there been a greater variety of objects produced, or a higher average standard of excellence attained than at the present time.
For Chinese jewelry filigree work is highly favored, and the native jeweler is exceedingly expert and artistic in this branch of his art. Enameling is also greatly fancied in dark blues and pale blues. When precious stones are set they are usually cut rounded, en cabo chon, not in facets, but in many cases imitation stones are used, prepared to the hue required by the enamel setting. Pearls are much in re quest, and they, as well as the stones that are employed, are drilled and attached by fine wire to the setting. Delicately wrought hairpins and earrings are greatly in vogue among Chi nese ladies.
India has produced an immense variety of jewels of all kinds. Indeed the forms are so many and so beautiful, the designs produced so attractive, and the love of personal decoration so widespread among the peoples of India, that a great many inferior metals and imitation precious stones are used by the jewelers, al though of course the jewels of the noble and wealthy are of gold and silver, adorned with costly genuine gems. Naturally, as India might be called the home of the pearl, this gem of the sea constitutes one of the most prized deco rations of the richest jewels. Among the more specifically Hindu forms of personal adorn ment must be noted the ever-present bangle bracelet, untold thousands of which have been produced. Glass and lac bangles are made in all parts of India, the choicest at Benares, Lucknow, Delhi and other towns of Upper In dia. Bracelets of dyed circles of shell are also in favor, and occasionally ivory bracelets are manufactured. Chains, armlets, crosses, etc., are part of the characteristic Indian jewelry and more especially national and attractive are the forehead ornaments, of painted glass for the poorer and of gold with a pendent gem for the richer.
In many Oriental countries there has been but little change in form or variety of work manship for more than two millenniums. A
close similarity of design may be remarked in the decoration of the Hindu work of to-day and in that of the Egyptians and Phoenicians many hundred years before the Christian era. The bracelets, earrings, rings, etc., are still fre quently ornamented with little gold beads, with filigree work or with delicate chainwork. It has indeed been conjectured that India was really the source of these designs in view of the active commercial intercourse with West ern lands dating from the campaigns of Alex ander the Great.
The Aztecs of Mexico and the aboriginal peoples ruled over by the Incas in Peru had developed a considerable and complex civiliza tion at the time of the Spanish Conquest in the early part of the 16th century, and their love of luxury and adornment, as well as the skill of their craftsmen, must have resulted in the production of many jewels. However, the reports of the Spanish chroniclers as to these objects are in many cases far from trustwor thy, as for instance those concerning the ((emerald* ornaments which had belonged to Montezuma, and were given by Cortes to his bride on his return to Spain in 1529. Accord ing to Gomara's recital, one of these had been carved by a Mexican lapidary into the form of a rose, another was shaped like a horn, a third had been fashioned as a fish with golden eyes, still another had been formed as a bell, having for the tongue a pearl, while the fifth was cut into a small cup, with foot of gold and having attached four little golden chains, each supporting a splendid pearl. These ornaments or jewels cannot have been of emerald, as this stone does not occur in Mexico, but were prob ably either of jade, or else of greenish tor quoise, or some other of the green or greenish stones known to the ancient Mexicans, rather indiscriminately, as chalchilluitl. The five ob jects brought by Cortes are said to have been lost at sea in during the disastrous Span ish expedition against Algiers, in which he took part. As the richest of the Peruvian jewels were of gold, with or without precious stone settings, the avidity of the Spaniards for the precious metal caused them to melt down the ornaments without regard for their value as objects of art, or of historic interest. In mod ern times the graves of Peru have yielded some examples testifying to the skill of the early Peruvian goldsmiths, but undoubtedly the chief treasures of the Incas are irrecoverably lost.
Summarized briefly: (1) Savage tribes have used for their ornaments natural objects easily worked. (2) The cultured nations of antiquity have generally made their finest pieces of personal ornament of gold. (3) Dur ing the period of the Renaissance gold and sil ver, colored precious stones and vitreous enam els were very largely used. (4) During the 19th century the diamond particularly claimed the attention of jewelers, and the 20th century has been marked by a strong preference for platinum in settings, es_pecially for diamonds. See DIAMOND ; GEMS, ENGRAVING OP ; PEARL ; PRECIOUS STONES. elf.