Contrast

DESIGN ELEMENT 4: CONTRAST

Jewelry designers often use contrasting colors, metals, and textures to lead the “eye” to the point of central focus in the design, to enhance a design element and to emphasize the theme/motif. The use of contrast is such a powerful tool for designers, it is easy to find examples of contrast in collectable costume jewelry.

The following examples illustrate these ideas.

Point of Central Focus

Figure 77: Givenchy, 1980s era 2 ½” pin constructed in two layers, a blue Lucite star-shaped base, fitted into a contrasting silver tone jacket.

The Givenchy star pin in Figure 77 illustrates how contrasting colors and materials lead the “eye” to the point of central focus. The Givenchy star pin is a simple star-motif design unadorned by embellishments; yet the design is so eye-catching it never fails to attract attention. The wow factor of this piece is achieved by pairing the extra shiny and reflective silver color metal with the bold yet translucent blue color Lucite. Normally blue and silver is a harmonious color combination. However, in this case the shiny silver metal is highly reflective and grabs the “eye’s” attention. The boldness of the royal blue color is mitigated by the translucent Lucite which creates a strong contrast between top and bottom of the design. The line separating the two contrasting materials is the point of central focus. The contrasting colors in this design lead the “eye” to this line. The traditional star motif is instantly modernized by these contrasts.

Emphasize A Design Element

The Panetta bracelet shown in Figure 78 is a masterpiece of how contrasting components work together to create and enhance a design element. The point of central focus in this design is the scroll work at the center of the bracelet. The scrollwork has a different color and texture than the sides of the bracelet. In this design, the gold tone sides lead the eye to the edge of the scroll work that opens to reveal the beauty beneath. Two contrasting metals and two contrasting textures work together to enhance the design.

Enhances Theme/Motif

In jewelry design motif refers to the general category or concept. For example, a clown is part of a circus motif. Theme refers to a unifying idea. For example, “the resiliency of nature” is a theme.

Figure 79: 3 ½” X 2 ¼” Kenneth J. Lane dragonfly pin designed with two contrasting materials

An example of a simple, yet effective design that uses contrast to enhance the motif is the Kenneth J. Lane dragonfly pin shown in Figure 79. The center line of clear crystal rhinestones defines the body of the dragonfly. This line is the point of central focus. The contrast between the clear crystals set in silver tone metal and the brushed gold tone or matte finish of the wings leads the eye to the dragonfly’s body. Like the Givenchy star pin, the soft lines of this design modernize the traditional dragonfly motif. Despite the large size, this design is elegant and graceful.

The stylized Trifari snake pin relies on contrasting elements to establish an interesting theme.

Figure 80: Designed by Trifari in the 1960s this 2 ¼” X 1 ½” pin represents a pile of snakes.

The Trifari red snake-motif pin in Figure 80 is a powerful example of how a designer combines contrasting textures in a design to enhance the overall theme of the design. The motif of this design is snakes. The theme is the contrast between the natural beauty of the snake versus the dangerous nature of the snake. The contrasting elements in the design support this theme. Each coil is decorated with smooth red enamel contrasting with textured, lacy bands of gold tone metal. The red enamel evokes emotions of power and danger. The lacy gold bands depict luxury and wealth. These design contrasts support the contrasting theme of beauty and danger.

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