History

[Renate]

I've always found the past a great source for inspiration. People loved to make and wear jewelry and amulets for a long long time. There have been some amazing artists and crafts people along the way, the more amazing when you think how low-tech their equipment must have been.
In a way wire work picks up there: not a lot of fancy tools required, but skills, talent, patience, attention to detail, experience, careful work.

I was reminded of how closely we are connected to the past when I came across this ring.
It's in the British Museum and dates obviously back to the late 5th to early 7th century.
www.langantiques.com/university/index.php/File:AN00755492_001_l.jpg
Looks familiar?

Btw, that site - AJU Antique Jewelry University - is a great knowledge base if you are interested in jewelry history.

[Tela]

That certainly does look familiar!

Over the years, I've run into a lot of sites that had interesting things about wirework but I don't have the links.

From memory, I can say that, wire jewelry was real popular during the early years of the 20th Century. It was especially popular in England. Big department stores used to carry it. There were a few well known companies that made pieces.

After the Industrial Revolution, when women had more free time, there was a boom in the arts and crafts and cottage industries. Wire jewelry was one of them.

We're just carrying on a tradition.

[janaita]

Thanks for this fabulous link!
I am fascinated by Roman and Egyptian jewellery. They did not need that much on tools to make stunning jewellery, right?
And my personal favourite historic jewellery is Art Nouveau.

[Renate]

Jana, I love Art Nouveau, too, all of it!

Tela, do you refer to this Berlin Iron and Silesian Wirework ? I would love to find out more about the Silesian wirework, and thought it should be easy to find something about for "Schlesische Drahtarbeiten", but nothing. Maybe it is just called "silesian", and is not from Schlesien at all.

[Tela]

I love Nouveau, too!

The Berlin Iron Works is stunning!! I don't think I mentioned or alluded to it, but thanks for the link. I haven't seen so much of it in one place. It is beautiful. The work involved is amazing and the patinas are awesome.

[Renate]

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is not only a great source for art, but also for jewellery.
www.metmuseum.org/toah/

I was looking for ancient earrings, and came across this pair:
www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/74.51.3401-3402
Apparently there is one part missing - how do you think it was worn? If you had to reconstruct, how would you do it?

[Tela]

I went googling and found this
www.ancientsculpturegallery.com/images/1593.jpg
and this
www.guyotbrothers.com/jewelry-history/hellenistic-earrings-late-4t-century-BC.htm

It seems like the little bottom circle went between the two top circles and maybe had a pin go through them, kinda like a cotter pin.

[las]

Thanks for sharing these links.
I just checked them out and they are amazing.
It was interesting to note how they seemed so familiar as well.
I will have to look for new ( old ) inspiration elsewere on the net now!

[marytucker]

Great links. I loved them all!! I'm so amazed that you found history on the basic wire ring Renate. I've never seen that picture before.

It looks like the ring was flooded with solder or fused by it's original maker. It certainly has held up well:)

[Renate]

Mary, so you think the ring was flooded with solder? I'm blissfully ignorant regarding anything metalsmithing or soldering, so I assumed it was a natural chemical process that gave the surface that slightly "flakey" look. I thought it may be oxydized and hardened through time and air, or, if very likely buried in the ground, was kind of pickled by minerals and acids in the soil.

I'm trying to find more ancient wire jewelry on the net, but not much success so far. I guess the wirework was too soft and fragile in most cases to survive.

[glenda]

Wow!

All the links are awesome and I wouldn't have known the 'swirl' ring was sooo old!! - No squabbles over who the albatross belongs to there then!! ha ha

Now is it just me or when you try to type c.o.p.y.r.i.g.h.t does it post as albatross?!!!!!!!!!!!

I love the beryl and garnet earrings!

[Renate]

Hi Glenda, good to see you again, I assume you are very busy with your family, zoo, jewelry and the new shop.

Your conclusion re albatross is correct. I felt a bit overexposed to that c-word, so I decided to, uhm, discourage the use of it in this place. Hope you don't mind? It's an excellent proboards feature.

[glenda]

Oh Phew!!!

Sorry I used it!!! Naughty me, won't do it again!!

Thought I was going nuts!! Was looking down at the keyboard typing, looked up briefly, selected preview and it said Albatross!! Wondered how the heck I had mistyped so bady AND spelt another word correctly!! ;D

It's good to be catching up!!

[Tela]

OMG!! That is soooo funny! I had forgotten about that. Glenda you should get a prize for using the secret no-no word!!

[Renate]

Dec 18, 2011 18:16:21 GMT -5 glenda said:

Wondered how the heck I had mistyped so bady AND spelt another word correctly!! ;D

ROTFLOL! Thank you for the good laugh!


To get back to history, here's another example of an an intriguingly simple design. The earring is only 11x9mm. But I wonder about one thing - could it be that this was made to have been worn permanently, an not taken off frequently as we usually do with earrings? To me it looks like a one-way thing that might have hurt if taken off, or the holes in the ears were rather large.

I even got the permission of the ebay seller to post the picture ;-)!



cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350466547511&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123

Attachments:

[glenda]

Definately see what you mean. Could the end have been bent to get it on and off?? Otherwise, as you say it looks as though it was a permanent thing

I have taken a look at the site and I would absolutely love some of those coins to wrap!!

[Renate]

It seems that many of the Roman earrings were constructed that way, so I assume the wire end was bent close after the ring was put on, not to be taken off and no danger to lose it.

Thanks for reminding me that I have a real Byzantine coin to wrap, Glenda. That should make a nice Holiday project.

[glenda]

Dec 21, 2011 2:15:11 GMT -5 Renate said:

Thanks for reminding me that I have a real Byzantine coin to wrap, Glenda. That should make a nice Holiday project.

You have one!!! Wow lucky you!

Please show us when it's done!

[Renate]

I purchased that coin in the neighbourhood, for less than 10 Euro. Some of those ancient coins are quite affordable.

Mine looks a lot like this, only less green:
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/cAc-Justin-I-Follis-large-M-Constantinople-518-527-AD-/170748959819?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27c16e5c4b

[Tela]

I was thinking the bent end just goes in the ear hole from an upward position and then brought down to push through.

[Renate]

Not sure I can follow your description, Tela, but I guess you start with the pointy end, and thread it through, right? I would agree if the earring would be much larger. This one is only 9x11mm which makes the bend only 1-2mm wide at best. I've tried to build a model . It doesn't resemble the earring, but gives a good idea of the dimensions.

[Tela]

Thinking about how small they are-- forget what I said. Maybe the whole end of it- the end without bead- goes through the earhole? There has to be an easy way to do this that we are just missing.

[glenda]

Dec 21, 2011 13:31:56 GMT -5 Renate said:

I purchased that coin in the neighbourhood, for less than 10 Euro. Some of those ancient coins are quite affordable.

Mine looks a lot like this, only less green:
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/cAc-Justin-I-Follis-large-M-Constantinople-518-527-AD-/170748959819?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27c16e5c4b

Wow that's alot cheaper than I thought I would be able to get one for!!!

Just think a tiny piece of history, if only it could talk!!