Collecting "Vintage Retro" jewelry is a fairly recent phenomenon which began in Italy, France and the United States in the early 1980s; it has also recently become popular in Europe.

Retro jewelry is also known as "Cocktail Jewelry". Glamorous and bold, it originated in France with a collection of designs by Van Cleef & Arpels, exhibited at the 1939 World's Fair in New York. When World War II began, the collection remained in New York and influenced American jewelry designers throughout the war years. Francois Curiel, of Christie's Auction House in New York, coined the term "Retro" in the early 1970s to characterize this jewelry produced during the mid-1930s through the 1940s.

War did slow down jewelry production, but overall only marginally affected production. Many concessions were made, but jewelry was still very popular. Gold was mixed with copper to produce "rose gold." Nickel was being used in the manufacture of arms, copper was often chosen to replace it in the jewelry-making process. Hollow settings were used in an effort to conserve metal.

During this period, jewelry became a valuable source of portable capital, as it always does in times of economic instability, especially when there is uncertainty about paper money. Designers resorted to using the gemstones and gold they had on hand to create their jewelry.

Popular gemstones of the period included citrine, aquamarine, amethyst, topaz, pearls and quartz. Large, cabochon-cut rubies, sapphires, golden beryl, peridots and tourmaline were also seen. The United States entered the war in 1941 and common motifs for jewelry were birds, animals, shells, hearts, ballerinas and bows; rather whimsical and light-hearted in contrast to the turbulent times. Pieces were often accented with sprays of diamonds and less opulent, smaller precious gemstones than were previously used. It seems that small to medium-sized diamonds were still quite plentiful in designer's caches, reminders of the opulence of the previous era.

Retro brooches, bracelets and rings were manufactured in the United States by Oscar Heyman, Verdura, Black, Starr & Frost, Bailey, Banks & Biddle, Shreve & Company, John Rubel and William Ruser. The European designers of note include, Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Boucheron, Chaumet, Trabert & Hoeffer, Mauboussin, Buccellati, Casteli and Bugari. Cartier is perhaps most well-known for its fabulous animal motif jewelry featuring birds, dogs, cats, horses and wild animals. These pieces were set with mostly colored gems and are highly collectible works of art. Retro jewelry, once melted down for scrap metal, enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in the 1970s and in recent years has seriously appreciated.

References:
Fay Cullen of faycullen.com and Antique Jewelry University: langantiques.com/university/index.php/Retro_Jewelry