Aluminum

Aluminum in Jewelry: A Historical Perspective

Aluminum is a bluish silver-white metal valued for its light weight, malleability, ductility, and resistance to oxidation. Although now ubiquitous in industrial and consumer applications, aluminum has a rich and surprising history within the decorative arts, particularly jewelry.

The use of aluminum compounds dates back to antiquity. Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations utilized aluminum salts—most notably alum (aluminum potassium sulfate)—as mordants in dyeing processes and as astringents for treating wounds. Remarkably, alum continues to be used today as a styptic in personal care and medical applications.

Metallic aluminum, however, was not isolated until the 19th century. The first impure aluminum metal was produced in 1825 by Danish physicist and chemist Hans Christian Ørsted. A more refined process was developed in 1827 by German chemist Friedrich Wöhler, who is generally credited with isolating aluminum (from the Latin alumen) by reducing anhydrous aluminum chloride with potassium, resulting in the first samples of pure aluminum metal.¹

Because aluminum was extremely difficult to extract from its ores using the technology of the time, it was considered a precious and rare material. This rarity made aluminum highly desirable. The first notable presentation of aluminum jewelry and decorative chains occurred at the Great Exhibition of 1851, held at the Crystal Palace in London. So striking was this new metal that Queen Victoria herself reportedly commissioned aluminum jewelry following the exhibition.

At that time, aluminum was more valuable than gold, silver, or platinum. This perception was due not to its actual scarcity—aluminum is the third most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, following oxygen and silicon—but to the difficulty of its extraction in the 19th century.

Aluminum continued to be perceived as a luxurious material following the Paris World Exhibition of 1855, where it once again captured the imagination of the elite. Parisian jewelers soon began to experiment with aluminum, creating ornate pieces that were eagerly acquired by wealthy clientele. For a brief period, aluminum jewelry became a symbol of social status. These pieces, often produced in elaborate Neo-Classical and Gothic styles, were further adorned with intricate engravings and gold-plated accents.²

Though substantial in appearance, aluminum jewelry from this period was notably light, aligning with the fashion for large, dramatic pieces while remaining comfortable to wear. This unique combination of visual weight and physical lightness added to the material's allure.

However, by the early 20th century, the perception of aluminum began to change. Advances in industrial metallurgy—most notably the Hall-Héroult process, developed in 1886—made aluminum far more accessible and dramatically reduced its cost. The material quickly found widespread use in construction, aviation, and consumer goods such as beverage cans. As a result, aluminum lost its association with luxury. Jewelry made from aluminum was no longer reserved for the elite but became affordable to the middle class.

While aluminum's prestige as a jewelry material declined, its role in the history of ornament remains significant. It represents a moment when technological innovation intersected with design, leading to a brief but remarkable period in which this now-common metal was elevated to the status of a precious material.

original from National museum collection

Photo credit: Greta Lindström / Nationalmuseum

“Eve”: A Bracelet by Claesson Koivisto Rune

“Eve” is a bracelet designed by the Swedish architecture and design studio Claesson Koivisto Rune, founded in 1995. The piece is crafted from a pressed aluminum profile—a type of extruded aluminum product characterized by its internal radius corners, typically used in structural applications where strength, low weight, and corrosion resistance are critical.

Aluminum profiles, such as the one used in “Eve,” are often employed in architectural and engineering contexts. Their high strength-to-weight ratio allows for greater versatility in design compared to steel. In structural applications, these aluminum beams not only provide robust support but also offer practical features, such as integrated channels for routing wiring or cables. Among the many forms of aluminum, heat-treatable alloys are particularly prevalent in industrial manufacturing due to their enhanced mechanical properties.

What distinguishes “Eve” as a work of jewelry is the conceptual shift brought by its creators. Claesson Koivisto Rune, primarily trained in architecture rather than traditional jewelry design, approach materials with a distinct sensibility. Their background enables them to perceive the aesthetic potential in industrial elements often overlooked within the jewelry field. In “Eve,” they reveal the inherent elegance of the aluminum profile by simply cutting and slicing the form to expose its geometry.

This minimalist gesture elevates a functional object into a wearable piece of art. By doing so, the designers underscore the inherent beauty of construction, drawing attention to the decorative qualities embedded in industrial engineering. The bracelet serves as a commentary on the use of ready-made materials in contemporary art and design, referencing conceptual art practices such as those pioneered by Marcel Duchamp and Joseph Kosuth. Through this lens, “Eve” becomes more than adornment—it is a meditation on materiality, form, and the recontextualization of the everyday. re-designed bracelet

RE-DESIGN

The bracelet Eve evokes a reflection on the history of materials. It is a declaration of appreciation—a celebration of raw materiality. In its minimal intervention, Eve reclaims aluminum as a jewelry material, bridging industrial form with conceptual design.

Building upon the original shape of the Eve bracelet, I introduced a subtle alteration: drawing in the edges to create a slightly domed profile. This transformation softens the industrial quality of the original aluminum profile, adding a tactile gentleness that invites a more intimate engagement with the piece.

Historically, aluminum has held a unique place in the world of jewelry. Its first significant exhibition was during the Great Exhibition in London in 1851. At that time, botanical jewelry was especially popular, often imbued with symbolic meanings drawn from the “language of flowers”—a visual code widely understood by both giver and recipient in the 18th and 19th centuries.³

In this reinterpretation, botanical motifs have been projected onto the surface of the redesigned bracelet. These patterns are inspired by specific flower brooches displayed during the 1851 Exhibition. The result is a hybrid object: a fusion of the minimalist, industrial aesthetic of Eve with the ornate, symbolic tradition of Victorian botanical jewelry.

The final piece functions as a remix—a dialogue between two historical references. It merges the clean lines of contemporary design with the sentimental visual language of the 19th century. Fabricated using 3D-printing in aluminum, the piece could not have been realized through traditional manufacturing methods, further underscoring the union of historical reference and technological innovation.

process picture

3d-model of redesign

Footnotes

[1] An Illustrated Dictionary of Jewelry, autor: Harold Newman, publishers: Thames and Hudson [2] http://beadsguru.blogspot.com/2014/11/aluminum-jewelry-hasnt-been-around-very.html
[3] Catalogue of the 1851 great exhibition:  https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015016482302&view=1up&seq=10 

This project was made possible with the support of