Designer Carl Blackburn Sings Praise for Art Deco and Miami's South Beach

Some things come and go - "in" one day and "out" the next. Then back "in" the day, week, or year after that. The Miami Beach Art Deco District is a vivid example of just such a phenomenon. Rescued from the brink of dereliction during the late 1970s, this stylized South Beach neighborhood is now a fashionable vacation hub, which plays host every year to hundreds of jewelry professionals attending the Miami Beach Antique Watch, Jewelry & Fine Silver Show—where they’ve found stunning pieces from Tiffany’s, Cartier, Rolex, Patek Philippe, David Webb, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Carl Blackburn.

Art Deco as an art form formally received its name at the 1925 L' Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes' in Paris and impacted all corners of the art world throughout the 1930s. Everything from architecture and interior design to painting and jewelry-making reveled in the symmetrical lines and geometric designs that defined the movement and turned it into a pop-culture phenomenon.

The South Beach Deco district, with buildings constructed in a flurry of activity by such legendary Deco architects as Henry Hohauser during the mid-thirties, is certainly the perfect community to play host to one of vintage jewelry's premiere events.

Asked about the connection between South Beach's architecture and Deco jewelry, vintage-inspired designer Carl Blackburn remarked, "The amazing architecture of South Beach is actually Deco with a twist. All the geometry, symmetry, and colors are there but they've made it their own by mixing it with nautical themes and stylized sunsets. It's a tropical style of Deco and certainly one of the most visually exciting neighborhoods in America. It has a wonderful 'roaring-twenties' kind of feel. We’ve always enjoyed showcasing our new Art Deco-inspired jewelry there.”