After World War II, with the prospect of peace, prosperity and security, every part of popular culture changed. Industry and economic growth brought rising wealth to the middle and upper classes, who wanted to display their prosperity with showy, glamorous jewelry. It was the start of the new consumer society.
1950s culture had many influences: the beginning of pop music; the movies, with glamour embodied by the Hollywood stars; and a new window on the world in the home, television. The relationship between celebrity and fashion was born.
Christian Dior introduced the New Look, making clothes very feminine after the austerity of the war years. Dior, working with Swarovski, introduced the aurora borealis stone, whose metallic coating gave it a rainbow iridescence. The stones were used in brooches, earrings, necklaces and extravagant matching sets called parures.
Parures became very popular, made up of suites of bracelets, brooches, earrings, necklaces and rings. Animals, stars, butterflies, bees, leaves, flowers and snowflakes were fashioned into sparkling pieces using both imitation and real stones, and the large jewelry houses followed these trends.
Cultured pearl production meant many women could own a pearl necklace, often with matching earrings, for the first time. Cameos also became very popular, made from glass, shell, gemstones and the new wonder material of the age, plastic.