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Sources Of Ispiration For The Jewelers
Gold, ivory and tortoiseshell were carved into twisting branches, forming bracelets; ring and brooches were composed of ivy leaves and tendrils or of bunches of grapes among their leaves; earrings were made of tiny gold leaves and curling stems encircling a bud or berry which was a precious stone. Another motif from the natural world which was extremely popular with the Romantics was the serpent. Queen Victoria wore a serpent bracelet at her first coucil meeting, and her betrothal ring was a serpent studded with emeralds. So she, by reason of her position, became a fashion catalyst: necklaces, bracelets, and any other jewel with a snake motif were then very popular. Studded or 'pavè' with turquoise, enameled or gem set, rigid or flexible, coiled or extended, serpent jewelry abounded. Though serpents have been used for rings and bracelets since the days of the Romans- you will see them in Greek gold, Egyptian adornments, Indian jewels and so on- and continued to be used throughout the nineteenth century, these Victorian serpents are particularly charming. They are plump, graceful, and often smiling- theri dolphin-like heads sparkling with diamond or ruby or garnet eyes, their mouths sometimes open to show small sharp teeth. An another influence on the jewellery of this period may be mentioned: Assyrian. Layard's 'Nineveh and its remains' appeared in 1848, with reproductions of the treasures found in excavating that ancient city. Jewellers lost no time in making bracelets and earrings based on Assyrian patterns. The lotus flower, as a popular motif, had arrived, and was to stay for about forty years. This enthusiasm for Assyrian ornaments foreshadowed the passion for achaeological jewellery which was to come some ten or fifteen years later. All this took the form of heightened interest in the past. This was not exclusively an English phenomenon; it had been in the air of Europe since the excavations of Herculaneum and Pompeii in the previous century. Yet by the 1860s, these and subsequent archaeological discoveries had begun to influence jewelry design. In Italy, as for example, the Roman jeweler Castellani had at last achieved success in his attempts to rediscover the lost gold-working techniques of the ancient Etruscans. Many examples of their extraordinary jewelry had been unearthed in the course of tomb excavations, but all early attempts to reproduce their characteristic technique of granulation (the fusing of infinitesimal gold spheres to a gold background) had been unsuccesful. Thus, by the 1860s, the Castellani workshops were famous, and their jewelry, initially literal copies of the Etruscan examples, soon adapted the ancient motivs with imagination and freedom, creating wondrous jewels. In Italy, naturally enough, there was a host of jewelers, some well known and others virtually anonymous, who produced much superb archaeologically inspired jewelry for the turists and lovers of the ancient styles. Although Etruscan revival jewelry was by far the most favored, there were many other archaeologically influenced jewels on the market: Assyrian-inspired jewels and Roman mosaics, with scarab, pharaonic and other Egyptian motifs, were being made in quantity. Also popular were brooches in the Viking and Celtic styles, based on authentic examples which had recently being excavated. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com you can get more fashion news at wholesale costume jewelry, wholesale fashion jewelry site . |
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