About the Jewellery Range

The designer Christine Smalley

The word Etelage is French for adornment reflecting the very essence of its products. Etelage was founded in Sydney by Christine Smalley - a girly girl who loves beads.

With the Etelage fashion jewellery collection, fans have something to celebrate.  In house designer Christine Smalley continues to deliver  gorgeous contemporary jewels.

Drawing inspiration from 1920s deco style, 1960s jet set glamour &1970s boho chic governs her artistic expression.

The Etelage brand has become synonymous with innovative design and meticulous handcrafting and stocked in galleries and boutiques nationally. If you desire to be individual Etelage is for you!

Jewellery Materials

Etelage collections are characterised by unique beads, including collectable, vintage and modern some of which are exclusive designs created by artisans globally.

The Collection

 Pop

Origins

Our tribal inspiration descends from a blend of our respect for tribal traditions & a concern for the environment from the Middle East to Polynesia.

 Orientalism

The range is delicately feminine & utterly gorgeous: a tribute to 70s boho chic. It’s all in the details: ornate medina filigree brass tasselled with lapis blue or coral red Czech glass beads or Swarovski embellished dramatic cuffs and spear or fan earrings.

 Retro

 

Trinkets

Whether your style is lady like or boho festival our trinkets are sure to catch the eye of passers by. Trinkets hang delicately from antique chains. Try layering a few... Choose from vintage enamel mushrooms, glass cameos & hearts or metal sparrows, owls & peacocks.

 Our range is big on plastic Lucite. It is the brand name for an acrylic plastic produced by Dupont (USA) in the 1930’s. Production was at its height in the 1960s when it was used for rings, bangles, necklaces and earrings. Being both bold in form and light - weight, it was the perfect choice to make the biggest and boldest piece of Cosmo jewellery in the 1960s.

 Vintage

 

French Jet Jewellery

Wear a piece of history with 1920’s hand crafted “French Jet” Bohemian Glass from Czechoslovakia. 

The craft of cutting is full of hidden intricacies, whilst the readymade product is full of time honoured tradition. These stones known as French Jet were purchased as the last known stock from an elderly maker in the Czech Republic & set in traditional mounts from the 1920’s. Every piece is remarkable, individual and is a one off or limited edition. Most French jet was made from shiny black glass, which was cut and backed, with black-coated steel. It was then fused or soldered onto a metal base. It remained fashionable until the late 1920 early 30’s.

History: The fashion for jet jewellery started in the 1850’s as mourning jewellery, when Queen Victoria wore a necklace to a banquet after the death of her cousin. Before long, jet (high-grade fossilised pine) was considered the only suitable material for mourning. By the end of the 19th century imitations of jet were being made in costume jewellery.

Styles: Although made from original Czech cut glass jet stones in the 1920’s –1930’s the style of this jewellery is far more 1900’s.

Victorian/Edwardian. Most designs are more feminine, lacy and romantic than the geometric deco style of that time.

Egyptian. The love of the exotic has always been a popular theme for jewellery. Pharanoiac motifs became an absolute craze after Howard Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922.“ Fashion has a rendezvous with the Nile.” Vogue declared in 1923. The craze lasted until well into the 1930’s, fuelled by Hollywood movies and the continuing press coverage of Carter’s excavation. Scarabs, snakes, Pharaohs and Princesses were used to create the ultimate Cleopatra look jewellery.

Art Nouveau. Alfon Mucha a Czech designer known for his illustrated women.

Value: Originals of these types are very scarce so good quality reproductions are popular and fetch high prices in their own right. Unlike forgeries, these are not produced with any intention to deceive. Cheaper than Deco jewellery of the same period serious collectors have overlooked this stylistic jewellery from Czechoslovakia and quality pieces are available at bargain prices.

Couture: Our Couture Collection is stylish, elegant and fashionable. All pieces are limited edition and made from high quality vintage and contemporary components. Each bespoke piece is intricate in detail from start to finish , and a versatile statement piece. Wear to a ball or dress down with a white T and jeans.