Jewelers of the 19th and 20th centuries carefully observed the fashion trends set by the great couturiers in order to meet their clients' demands for jewels that suited the latest features and flourishes of formal and everyday wear. As Louis Cartier said, "The jeweler is the slave to the dressmaker". As a result of these constantly changing demands of fashion, earrings - which had to respond to new variations in multiple features of dress - necklines, bonnet shapes, and hairstyles which night or might not cover the ears - were most vulnerable to being shortened or simply melted down. More than other forms, antique earrings are rare.