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Laura Quick Professor Lisa Mastrangelo College Writing November 25, 2014

What's in Your Jewelry Box?
Today's Passing Fancy - Tomorrow's Message from the Past What’s in your jewelry box? The answer to that question says a lot about you, your personality, the life you’ve lived and possibly even the lives of your parents and grandparents. Whether it’s fine gold or diamond jewelry, the latest fashion jewelry, your grandmother’s pearls, a ring with birthstones for each of your children, the necklace received from your husband on a wedding anniversary or a combination of these things, the contents of your jewelry box communicates visual messages about you to others. As an avid collector and seller of vintage jewelry, researching the items I collect is part of the process and often provides education regarding various periods in history. When researching a specific item of jewelry; the style, when it was made, and of what material, it also gives me impressions about the life of the person who wore the item being researched. Over several years, I’ve learned that jewelry has played an important economic, societal and emotional role in human lives throughout history. Jewelry is a wearable art form that can communicate emotion and information to others, even after the wearer is gone. A news article written by Kate Ravilious for National Geographic News online entitled Oldest Jewelry Found in Morocco Cave, described a cache of 82,000 year-old shells found by a team of archaeologists. The shells or “beads” were decorated with a dye from red clay and

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pierced so they could be strung. To date, these beads are the oldest form of jewelry ever discovered. The article also mentioned “signs of wear” on the beads indicating they had been worn for others “to see.” What those ancient beads actually meant to the wearer and what they conveyed to other tribe members may not be known, but it does support the concept that communicating visually through personal adornment has been around for a very long time. Some of the earliest forms of jewelry communicated wealth and social status; wearing jewelry was often limited to those in power. In addition to being a portable sign of wealth and indication of importance, jewelry was also used as a universal form of currency for trading goods with other tribes and nations. Loose gems, jewels, pearls and jewelry made of gold and silver were offered in exchange for other needed items such as spices, cloth and livestock when early explorers traveled the world in search of new trade opportunities with other nations. Jewelry has also been used as a historic symbol of religious faith and devotion that communicated belonging to a group that held similar beliefs. During Greek and Roman history, jewelry designs often represented popular legends and gods. The Egyptians also used various colors to communicate the nature of objects and symbols in jewelry representing gods they worshipped. In many cases, Egyptian amulets and talismans were made to provide protection or imbue the wearer with power. Poorer Egyptians wore rings of woven grasses; representing mystical symbols of eternity, evolving into what we refer to today as the wedding band, representing a message of eternal love.

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In thirteenth century Medieval Europe, laws were enforced to control who was allowed to wear certain types of jewelry and fabrics because it was viewed as an economic and social threat to ruling nobility. Sumptuary laws, resulting in fines if broken, meant those in lower classes were banned from wearing jewelry made of precious metals like gold and silver (www.fashion-era.com/jewellery.htm), yet in other parts of the world slaves were made to wear bracelets and neck rings to indicate their positions of servitude; another example of jewelry use to convey status and social class. The Baroque, Georgian, and Victorian eras of the 1700 and 1800s were periods in history that resulted in improved methods in jewelry manufacture, design changes, and increased function. It was during the 1700s that jewelry store fronts came into existence to meet the wide spread demand for jewelry as items were created for more utilitarian functions. The watch was introduced, necessitating the watch chain and decorative fobs for men (Antique Jewelry University, www.langantiques.com). The chatelaine, a necklace-like key-chain worn by women kept keys and a watch or sewing items handy. Women wore their hair in fantastical and highly detailed styles that included several decorative accents, clips or combs. Wearing jewelry still communicated levels of social status; however it also became associated with increasing complexities in social etiquette during the Victorian era with different types of jewelry were worn based on the time of day. During the Victorian Era, also referred to as the Romantic Period, the acrostic ring became a popular engagement ring choice. Acrostic rings were designed with hidden messages

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achieved through use of colored gemstones. The first letter of each stone name was the key; spelling words of endearment such as dearest, regard, or the word love. Keepsake jewelry also evolved during this time often incorporating locks of hair and sometimes jewelry was made entirely of hair (Antique Jewelry University, Romantic Period www.Langantiques.com). Mourning jewelry was another aspect of keepsake jewelry. At the time, a one-year mourning period was strictly adhered to. This rule of societal etiquette was even more formally established by Queen Victoria upon the death of her husband, King Albert. Mourning jewelry made of jet, a black organic material that could be carved into various shapes with fine detail, became a widespread fashion standard not only in England, but was also adopted in America. Shortly after the turn of the twentieth century, WWI introduced another form of jewelry that was again popular during WWII. An article at About.com entitled Sweetheart Jewelry from the World Wars, by antique expert Pamela Y. Wiggins, describes sweetheart jewelry as items specifically made to be purchased by American soldiers abroad and sent home to loved ones. Pieces were both machine and handmade; some made by the soldiers themselves while hunkered down in front-line trenches. Wiggins describes Trench Art jewelry being made from limited materials available like wire and formed into words such as Mother, Sister or a loved one’s name. At home, patriotic support was expressed by wearing jewelry representing the branch of service a loved one was serving under. Sweetheart jewelry was a way for people to feel connected over long distances and strengthen bonds with loved ones during a time of great uncertainty in people’s lives.

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As mentioned, the material that jewelry is made from and details of its construction also communicate information regarding its age, the era in history when it was made and the lifestyle of the owner. Identifying jewelry made from gilt metal called Pinchbeck, developed by a jeweler of the same name (thejewelryexpert.com, Percival, MacIver, "Chats on Old Jewellery and Trinkets, in an effort to copy the look of real gold, indicates the 1800s era and a middleclass lifestyle. Types of fasteners on jewelry also indicate era of manufacture. One example is a “C” clasp pin fastener not generally found on jewelry after the 1800s, when the safety clasp was invented and more widely used. Jewelry made of certain types of plastics such as Celluloid, Galaith and Bakelite during WWI when there was a shortage of metals, is an example of using materials for time period identification. Around 1930, a new trend in jewelry became popular referred to as “costume jewelry.” In Costume Jewelry, a Practical Guide, author Fred Rezazadeh credits Coco Chanel, an internationally influential Parisian fashion designer, with having played a significant role in making costume jewelry a household word in America (5). She did so by marketing inexpensively-made jewelry of matching color and specific design to be used only with one particular item of clothing. Once the fashionable season for the clothing item passed, it was intended that the matching jewelry also be discarded or passed down to young daughters for dress-up play. Coco Chanel is quoted as saying, “Costume jewelry is not made to give women and aura of wealth, but to make them look beautiful” (Coco Chanel quotes, www.goodreads.com/quotes/).

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Up until this time most jewelry innovation and design occurred in Europe and was afterward, adopted by the rest of the Western World. Comprised of inexpensive metals with mass-made sparkly foiled and faceted glass gems, costume jewelry was affordable to all and made women feel more beautiful. Americans enthusiastically embraced the costume jewelry concept; a jewelry trend that lasted well into the 1950s. The variety of colors, shapes, styles and sizes could meet anyone’s personal preference and match any clothing item. While fine jewelry remained designated for important life events; marriages, anniversaries, births, and the wealthy, costume jewelry represented sheer, self-indulgent glamour. The message was simply, "Look at me, I feel beautiful." The charm bracelet became a favorite form of jewelry in the 1950s. Figural charms were purchased as mementos of travel, favorite hobbies, or to symbolize important events. Bracelets with a charm for each of the Ten Commandments or the twelve signs of the zodiac were a few popular themes as well as, entire bracelets with charms representing a major city; Washington, DC., Chicago, or Houston or internationally, Paris, France. The charm bracelet didn't just communicate a visual message, it could tell an entire story. By the 1960s and 1970s, a surge in overseas manufacturing and changing mindset in American culture brought an end of the glamorous period associated with the costume jewelry craze. The Vietnamese War, Women’s Liberation, Sexual Revolution and Hippie sub-culture, resulted in expressions of individualism and social opinion. Peace Sign and Flower Power jewelry both manufactured and hand-crafted were prominently worn as signs of passive

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resistance and protest against war (USHistory.org) when less than fifty years earlier, jewelry had expressed patriotism and support of those who had gone off to fight for their country. Other notable ‘60s and ‘70s examples of jewelry that communicated emotion or expressed social opinion was the Mood ring that changed color with skin temperature denoting the wearer’s emotional, and the phenomenally popular Smiley Face logo, plastered on every conceivable product including jewelry, with its unspoken message to "Have a nice day." In the later 1970s, body piercing became a popular form of expression beginning mainly as the Punk sub-culture emerged in America, England and Australia. Dr. Daniel Wojik, author of Punk and Neo-Tribal Body Art, describes punk jewelry body piercings incorporating safety pins and razor blades, as having “particularly powerful symbolic connotations (deviance, pain, masochism, and self-destruction)” sending “disturbing” visual messages to most (Kindle e-book). However,

Punk followers were merely visually expressing dissatisfaction with their lives and positions in society. Jewelry manufacture is more prevalent today and if possible, desired even more in our fast-paced world of computers, smart-phones and enhanced social networking. Jewelry continues to serve in long-term traditional roles; engagements, weddings, graduations and other milestone life events are still often marked by giving gifts of traditional fine diamond and gold jewelry. The wealthy still purchase fine jewelry for investment and wearing fine jewelry still communicates wealth and power. Fashion jewelry, formerly known as costume jewelry, still enhances perception of beauty. Collecting vintage and antique jewelry is now a growing

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popular trend and in a culture where reducing one’s carbon footprint is considered a social responsibility, some collectors are also dedicated to repurposing broken and cast-off jewelry. What will jewelry of the future communicate? A jewelry industry trade article published at JCK Magazine Online reports the next big trend is already upon us. Jewelry is merging with digital technology referred to as wearables. Both Apple and Google are among leading providers marketing wearable jewelry technology called smartwatches. From a jewelry perspective, Smartwatches come in a variety of styles found in traditional watches with the advantage of changeable digital watch faces. From a technology perspective, smartwatches can perform Smartphone tasks as well as, integrate with Smartphones, car speaker systems and Bluetooth headsets. The answer to the question, “what’s in your jewelry box,” is bound to change from time to time, but evidence indicates we will continue to wear jewelry for personal adornment, self expression, and communication of visual messages; and possibly more into the future.

Works Cited Boyer Saygert, Kelly. “The 1970s American Popular Culture Through History”. Westport. Greenwood Press. 2007. Print. “Coco Chanel Quotes”. Good Reads.com. Good Reads Inc. n.d. Web. Nov. 2014. “Charm Bracelet”. Fashion Encylopedia.com. 2014. Web. Nov. 2014. “The Circle of Love - History of the Wedding Ring”. Mad About Jewellery.com. Oct. 2009. Web. Nov. 2014. Kelly, Lyngerda, and Nancy Schiffer. Plastic Jewelry. Atglen. Schiffer Publishing. 2001. Print. Ravilious, Kate. “Oldest Jewelry Found in Morroco Cave”. National Geographic News.com. National Geographic Mag. 7 Jun. 2007. Web. Nov. 2014. Rezazadeh, Fred. “Costume Jewelry: A Practical Handbook and Value Guide”. Paducah. Collector Books. 1998. Print. Spauwen, Tim. “The Era of Queen Victoria”. Antique Jewelry University. Lang Antique Jewelry.com. n.d. Web. Nov. 2014. ---. “Georgian Jewelry: 1714-1837”. Antique Jewelry University. Lang Antique Jewelry.com. n.d. Web. Nov. 2014. ---. “Romantic Period: 1837-1860”. Antique Jewelry University. Lang Antique Jewelry.com. n.d. Web. Nov. 2014. “The Story of Pinchbeck”. The Jewelry Experts.com. Bijoux Extraordinaire, Ltd. 2002. Web. Nov. 2014. US History.org. “57h. Flower Power”. US History Online Textbook. 2014. Web. Nov. 2014 Weston Thomas, Pauline. “Jewellery History – Jewellery in Costume and Fashion History”. Fashion-Era.com. Oct. 2012. Web. Nov. 2014. Wiggins, Pamela Y. “Sweetheart Jewelry from the World Wars”. About.com. n.d. Web. Nov. 2014. Wojik, Daniel. “Punk and Neo-Tribal Body Art”. University Press. Mississippi. 1995. Kindle Ebook. Vesilind, Emili. “Amazon Syncs Up with Googles Wearables”. JCKonline.com. 19 Nov. 2014. Web. Nov 2014.

“Medical Jewellery”. The New Inventors. ABC.net.AU. n.d. Web. Nov. 2014. Jones, Tammy. “The Language of Gemstones: Acrostic Jewelry Says It All, In Diamonds, Rubies, Emeralds, Sapphires...”. Jewelry Making Daily.com. Interweave. 8 Aug. 2012. Web. Nov. 2014.