Whether you collect Art Deco as a hobby, investment, or way of life; or you have heard about this two words, I believe this information might help you.

• The Art Deco is a design and decor movement frecuently situated between WWI and WWII. But the style followed on inmediatelly from Art Nouveau at the end of 19th. Century.  The name Art Deco was coined in the 60's by Bevis Hillier, a British art critic and historian. Art Deco term derived from the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs Industriels et Modernes, Paris. Art Deco evolved in Paris, France. Oustide France, it was based on theories of  functionalism and economy as the Bauhaus in Germany. Art Deco was also known as "Art Moderne" or "Modernistic"; later it was called "Jazz Pattern," or "Skyscraper Modern."

 This period affected architecture and the fine and applied arts as well. (Furniture, sculpture, clothing, jewelry, graphic design.). It also became a popular style for theaters, restaurants, hotels and ocean liners. It had a great achievement in the United States, in the architecture and the interior decor.

• Art Deco was influenced by the Cubism, Futurism, and Constructivism art movements, it also took ideas from the ancient geometrical design styles, such as Egypt, Assyria and Persia.
• Art Deco was clean and pure and based on with vivid colors. It was a life style. The lines did not swirl around. Aspects of machine design influenced the creation of every day objects and the used the new materials, such as bakelite or chrome. Designers use forms in a geometrical order, and simple formats. Wrought iron, copper and bronze were popular during the 1920s, aluminium and chrome during the 30s. Designers worked with exotic materials (tortoise shell - ivory - ebony)

Recognizing Art Deco Design:

Egyptian themes
African and Japanese influences
Modern technology influences (The Machine Age)
Jazz Age influences
Hollywood influences
The International Exposition des Arts Decoratifs (Paris)
The Russian Ballet
Cubism
Bauhaus
Geometric shapes
Angular
Strong lines
Bright color contrasts
Ivory - Mother of Pearl- Ebony - Bakelite - Celluloid
Filigree
Enamel and lacquer
Onyx

Almost any object reflecting Art Deco is highly collectable and rising in price.

Tips:

• Beware of anything that is too cheap
• Is it made of ivory or could it be plastic?
• Look for the patina on gilding. 
• As with other Art Deco items, condition is paramount. This will affect the value enormously.
• Signature, marks, patent numbers, helps to identificate a piece.
• Look for signs of wear such as rust or some discoloration. Too shiny object could have been rechromed or repainted.
• If it looks too new it may be a replica.
• If you are in doubt, ask the seller.
• If it is describe as "ivorine" it may be plastic and not authentic ivory.

Some Popular searches:

Ceramics (Clarice Cliff-  Susie Cooper) - Wall masks - Mirrors -  Furniture - Lamps –  Clocks

Art Glass (René Lalique -  Baccarat - Czech glass - Sabino - Argy Rousseau - Loetz - Mosser - Hoffman - Le Verre Francais - Schneider ) -

Perfume Bottles -

Posters - (Erte - Cassandre)

Decorative Sculpture (Demetre Chiparus - Joseph Lorenzl ) - Jazz figures -

Bakelite - Jewelry - Vanity items -

Some Art Deco Designers:

Andre Leon Arbus, Norman Bel Geddes, A.M. Cassandre
Pierre Chareau, Serge Chermayeff, Clarice Cliff
Susie (Susan Vera) Cooper, Michel die Klerk
Sonia Delaunay, Donald Deskey, Djo Bourgeois
Maurice Dufrene, Jean Dunand, Paul Follot
Paul Theodore Frankl, Eric Gill, Josef Gocar, Eileen Gray, Oliver Hill, Josef Hoffman, Charles Hoiden
Raymond Hood, Pavel Janak, Betty Joel, Francis Jourdain, Ely Jacques Kahn, Piet Kramer, Rene Lalique, Le Corbusier, Raymond Loewy, Charles Mackintosh, Koloman Moser, Dagobert Peche, Paul Poiret, Gio Ponti, Jean Puiforcat, Jacques Emile Ruhlmann, Sue et Mare, Waiter Dorwin Teague, Joseph Urban, Ralph T. Walker, Thomas Wallis, Kem Weber, Frank Lloyd Wright