Jewels: Past

Jewels and Gemstones

The interest in gold most likely began in the Stone age, and this began the popularity of jewellery. This is significant because gemstones probably would not have become as popular as they are today without gold - because they are usually set in precious metals like gold. It took until the bronze age to mine silver and copper, and so this was also used as a base for precious stones. (Jewelery Mae 2003)

Bronze Age Jewellery from Budapest (Kalicz-Schreiber Rózsa 1995)

The Ancient Egyptians used lapis lazuli, carnelian, jasper, amethyst and turquoise for their jewellery - with amethyst and turquoise still being widely used today in the process of jewellery making.

Lapis Lazuli Egyptian Jewellery (Faba Jewellery)

This shows that gold has always been popular since its discovery. Gold has not really changed over the years (however, it may have gotten less pure) and so the same thing that became popular in the Stone Age is still popular to this day. The same can be said for the gemstones used in Ancient Egypt, as they are still being used in jewellery in the present day.

During the Renaissance people wore gold pendants, gold chains and jewelled collars. When the factory production of jewellery began, it saw a decline in artists creating unique pieces, but it introduced costume jewellery which was cheap and affordable to the public. (Jewelery Mae 2003)

A Renaissance Woman wearing a pendant and chain belt (allaboutgemstones.com 2010)

Gemstones in history were also used to create stamps, carved dies and seals. These were often used to seal documents and were used by officials.

Carnelian Sealing Stone Circa 224 to 651 AD (Prentice Lee  2010) 

This method however, is not really all that relevant for my research. With the advances in technology in this modern day, we do not really use stones to seal documents anymore, and cheaper ways of creating them were introduced anyway. This makes this topic not really all that relevant to my research.

Diamonds

The first recorded diamonds in history were 3000 years ago in India. These diamonds obtained their value for their ability to refract light (see image in Jewels: Present).

Antique Diamond Ring (theweddingblog 2011)

This is relevant to my research because it most likely began the popularity of diamonds, because they are valued for the way they ‘sparkle’ – which is directly tied by the way they refract light once they are cut.

An interesting fact is that diamonds were used to ward off illness during the Dark Ages, and were held whilst performing medical operations – obviously superstition like this has now been disproved and modern medicine has prevailed, so it is not a significant point for my research. (Costellos 2010)

Diamond Ring dating back to medieval times (BNPS  2008) Taken from Telegraph article 'Treasure Hunter Finds Medieval Diamond Ring'

The popularity of diamonds increased in the middle ages, with large diamonds like the Koh-I-Nor and the Blue Hope being discovered and cut. After this a few countries discovered that they had diamond deposits, and so began a diamond rush to keep up with the ever increasing popularity of the stone. (Samantha Smith, BBC, 2011)

Koh I Noor Diamond (Chris72 2007)

Blue Hope Diamond (Smithsonian Science 2009)

From looking at diamonds in history, the popularity has just grown and grown. In my opinion diamonds will always be a viable subject for my research, and in turn making jewels a viable topic. This has proved that throughout history, people have liked diamonds and this still continues today – I am predicting that this topic will become more relevant for the horizon section because if the popularity is growing, then the future is looking good for diamonds.

Cameos

It is said that Queen Elisabeth loved to wear cameos, and that Catherine the Great had a vast collection of them. Queen Victoria also wore cameos on occasion, and this led to them being very popular in the Victorian Era. In this Era, shell was the most commonly used material to make the cameos, but some were still made out of stones such as sardonyx, agate and onyx. (Victorian Bazaar 2000)

Brooch featuring a cameo of Queen Victoria  (18Karat Goldsmiths 2009)

It is since this time that shells became popular materials and that women’s profiles were widely carved on the cameos themselves. Previously they had been used to depict a wide variety of pictures.

This is a video to show an antique cameo that was for sale on eBay. This subject was very popular in the past, and the antiques born out of this popularity are still being sold today.

It looks as though the Victorian Era was the main catalyst in improving the popularity of cameos. It created the modern ‘idea’ of what a typical cameo should look like, and these ideas continue today.

Cameos have not always been decorative objects for women. Earlier than the Victorian Era, people used cameos to depict an ethic or moral, or to make a statement about faith and loyalties. In early Greek and Roman times cameos were used to show scenes of mythology and the Gods and Goddesses. In some cultures, men also wore cameos to show their prestige and high status. (Anna Miller 1998)

A portrait of Emperor Augustus - one of the most famous surviving cameos of this time (18Karat Goldsmiths 2009)

"This Antique cameo depicts Aurora, the Greek goddess of the dawn as she leads the sun god Apollo on his chariot at break-o-day, bringing-in daylight to the world" (WH Starkhouse 2011)

From this research it seems that cameos themselves come and go in popularity. They are always around, and benefit from an ongoing popularity throughout the ages, but their massive popularity does come and go with the decades. I think that this research is relevant because they are still popular today, in more or less the same state they were in all those years ago.

Ice

Upon reflection, using ice as a theme was possibly not the best idea. It may have inspired several things, but as a subject itself it does not seem very popular.

In history, ice would have been used to keep food cold before refrigeration techniques were invented. It was also a luxury in the 1800’s, a man named Frederick Tudor invented the ice cube, which finally allowed people to quickly cool down their drinks, which was previously unheard of. (Linda Rodriguez, CNN article, 2008)

People cutting Ice in China - this has been done for thousands of years to preserve food and keep things cold. (Lloyd Alter 2007)

Obviously the biggest association with ice in history would have been the Ice Age, which happened approximately 20000 years ago. This in itself is not really valid for my research, but it has spawned some successful popular media, such as the film Ice Age.

Ice Age [DVD] [2002]

My research has shown that the popularity of ice as a theme in a history sense is not really applicable to the overall goal of my research so I will not look into the history of it. It may have a bigger popularity on the horizon though, because the popularity I have found so far has been greater in the present day. This might show that the popularity is growing over time, especially with the big issue about climate change and melting ice currently in the media.

Treasure

When thinking about treasure, the first historical thing that springs to mind is the buried treasure in the Egyptian tombs in Egypt. The tomb of Tutankhamun was discovered in 1922 and it contained many priceless treasures richly decorated in gold and precious jewels. These treasures were though to have been needed but the king in his afterlife, and so they were buried with him when he died. (Robert Partridge 2011)

The antechamber of the Tutankhamun, as first seen by treasure hunters in 1922 (Griffith Institute 2011)

The tomb of King Tutankhamun on Egypt (PlanetWare Inc 2007-2011)

Another idea that is associated with historical treasure is the pirate’s buried treasure. Most of this is down to the novel ‘Treasure Island’ by Robert Louis Stephenson. In reality, pirates did not usually bury their treasure, choosing to spend it on women, drink and gambling instead. Captain Kidd was one of the most famous pirates to horde buried treasure, he once robbed a ship and stole between 20,000 to 40,000 rupees. Fearing arrest he buried this on Gardiners Island under the protection of John Gardiner, much of which was discovered by treasure hunters after Kidd’s arrest. (Cindy Vallar 2000/2011)

Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stephenson,1883 (Templar Publishing 2005)

'Wholesale robbery by pirates on Lake Michigan' - A news article from the New York Times (New York Times October 1885)

Treasure hunting itself seems no longer popular, and the interest in in in a historical sense is only slight. In the days of pirates, people would have probably read about it in the news but not actively engaged in the activity. When the tombs in Egypt were found, then the popularity did increase to a fever pitch, but only for a limited amount of time. You can see this in popular media in films like Indiana Jones (1981). In the present day though, there is not much of a popularity – most people wander round with metal detectors now and are seen as slightly ‘odd’ to the general public. This may be because most of the treasure has already been found, but this is pure speculation.

Pearls

Pearls are the oldest known gems, and for many centuries it was considered the most valuable. The oldest known pearl jewellery was found in the sarcophagus of a Persian Princess dating back to 520BC. (Pearl Oasis 2011)

Roman Bracelet made from Pearls in the British Museum - This is a replica for sale today, made from a direct mould of the original antique Roman jewellery (Quirao 2006 - 2010)

In Roman times strings of pearls were prized and very valuable, only people of a certain rank were allowed to wear them.

An antique 'Roman Pearls' receipt on sale on eBay - this shows the popularity of the subject because it shows that people were buying the products (Melmyster 2011)

Pearls have always been a popular choice – at weddings they can symbols of innocence and purity, and in medieval Europe they were sewn onto clothes as decorations.

A Painting of Queen Elizabeth from 1590, showing pearls sewn onto her dress and in her hair. (George Glower 1590, Suzanne Hill 2007)

This all shows that there has been a continual interest in pearls because they are still popular in the same form in the present day. My research suggests that they were the first jewels to be coveted, and so really theirs have had the longest run of popularity. The popularity of pearls most likely has dropped off over the years, but they have had a continual presence in shops and people still buy them – making them an ideal topic of study for the horizon because their popularity has been proven.

Japanese 'Ama' pearl diver - this has been going on for thousands of years to meet demand (James Disley 2005)

A video to show Japanese Pearl Divers, this was filmed in 1963. With the media available, this shows that this subject was popular in the past.

Another important point would be the historical art of pearl diving. The majority of pearls came from beds in the Persian Gulf, China and Japan. Before the 20th century the only way of collecting pearls was to dive down and collect them. Divers usually had to dive between 40 and 125 feet without any breathing apparatus. Back around this time the best pearls were believed to have come from the ‘Sulu Archipelago’ in the Philippines, and interesting fact about this was that the largest pearls, by law, belonged to the Sultan. Sellers of these pearls could potentially be put to death. (W. R Catelle 1457) (The Pearl Market LTD 2002 - 2011)

The islands of the Sulu Archipelago, where divers used to dive for pearls. (Farl 2008) 

Map showing the location of the Sulu Archipelago, near the Philippines (Lupah Sug)

Interestingly, these pearls from the Sulu Archipelago were so popular and coveted that people actually had to smuggle them out of these area because of the laws decreed by the sultan. However, these sis manage to end up in the possession of some of the wealthiest families in Europe. This method of pearl gathering may have been popular before the 20th century, but it is now obsolete so it is not relevant to my research. However, it does prove that pearls have continued to be popular no matter what time period it is.

Conclusion

In conclusion to the research of 'Jewels' in the past, its looks as though the subject of pearls has been incredibly popular in the past. They were the first jewels to be coveted and valuable. This shows that the popularity has actually changed over the years, and in the present day they are still popular, but less so than in the past. I will have to look at this in my Horizon section to see if this popularity is still changing. The subject of ‘Ice’ is not as popular in the past as it is in the present, but this may be because of the information on climate change we have available now. This might be a very valid subject for the horizon, because most climate change will happen in the future. I think the subjects of cameos and treasure were more popular in history than they are now, and diamonds are definitely more popular because of the increased availability of them in the present day.