Brightly colored Indian inspired “Tutti Frutti” jewelry was designed and popularized by the style makers of the Art Deco period. Much of the jewelry being produced at that time was rectilinear in form and profoundly influenced by exotic and ancient cultures. For example, the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922 inspired design trends in all things Egyptian. Conversely, an auspicious trip to India by Jacques Cartier, of the jewelry House of Cartier, introduced him to the Islamic floral cult of the Mughal emperors, who employed natural forms using cabochons and engraved cabochon colored gemstones to create a polychromatic explosion of color in their jewelry. The engraved stones when used were usually leaf, berry or floral forms. The stones were often not as valuable as their faceted counterparts, but were chosen for their saturated color. The overall effect was stunning.
Combining these cabochons with platinum and diamonds, which was the fashion of the day, created jewelry pieces that were the perfect blend of east meets west. Women, who were the trendsetters of the time, would have considered a piece of tutti frutti jewelry to be an expression of their cutting-edge style.
