Deborah Ramey Jennings writes:
I suppose I can trace my first interest in costume jewelry back to a time as a young girl when I would sneak into my mother's bedroom and delve into the drawers in her dresser. In one particular drawer there dwelt a fascinating hodgepodge assortment of boxes of different shapes and sizes. Tiny fingers explored these small white boxes which all contained glorious treasures - my mother's costume jewelry. Although there were many types of decorative pieces sheltered there, I was almost invariably drawn to one particular silver-colored rhinestone necklace. Shaped much like an inverted tiara, I often laid the necklace on top of my head in a crown-like manner with visions of being a princess. This style was originally popular during the late 1940s and 1950s and I believed this necklace was the most glorious shining trinket ever beheld.
So, it was only logical as I developed an interest in costume jewelry, that the first pieces I would collect would be similar or complementary to this necklace. Incidentally, fashion designer Coco Chanel most likely coined the phrase "costume jewelry." According to author Nancy N. Schiffer, in her book titled Costume Jewelry - The Fun of Collecting, in the early years costume jewelry was called "fashioned jewelry," which might be more accurate. The term was used to describe all jewelry which did not use precious materials such as genuine stones and karat gold, silver or platinum in their manufacture. Shiffer mentions another theory pertaining to the great Florence Ziegfield who wanted jewelry to match the motifs of his costumes, and used the term costume jewelry whenever he referred to the jewelry of his Follies.
Whatever the derivation, I began to scour antique and junk stores for pieces of costume jewelry. I eventually amassed an interesting conglomeration of bracelets, earrings, pins and other baubles in various designs and configurations, some gaudy, others more traditional and all highly treasured. Somewhere along the way, my interest switched lanes and I found myself drawn to pieces that featured the combination of black stones with clear rhinestones. This would eventually segue into a fascination with solid black jewelry pieces. Perhaps it was due to my already obvious preference to wearing predominantly black clothing. It's hard to discern my original motivation. But, personally, I believe the more singular direction evolved simply because I found the all-black pieces stunning and quietly elegant. All quite logical when you consider that most of these pieces were considered "mourning jewelry."
Black jewelry appears in various forms; real or imitation jet, ebony or bog oak, made popular during Queen Victoria's period of mourning upon the death of her beloved husband Albert, the Prince Consort. According to the collectibles manual, Answers to Questions About Old Jewelry: 1840-1950, by Jeanne Bell, Albert's unexpected death left the English subjects shocked and grieved and Queen Victoria herself would mourn until her own death in 1901. Therefore, the entire nation went into mourning. A period of two years was customarily considered to be the time "in mourning." During the first year, only black was worn as a show of respect and grief. This, according to Bell was a time of full mourning and elaborate regulations as to appropriate dress for each relative of the departed was followed.
The second year was a little more lenient and referred to as half-mourning and the bereaved was allowed a few items that were not black such as an amethyst pin. Still, for all intents and purposes, the jewelry and dress were black. An all-black ensemble does present a very dramatic impression. Who doesn't recall the startling beauty of Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara decked out in her stunning mourning out outfit in the movie Gone with the Wind? Consequently, "jet" became the solution to the question of what jewelry to consistently wear while bereaved.
Bell defines jet as a hard, coal-like material made from fossilized wood. The finest jet was mined in the town of Whitby, England, where the industry began in the early 19th century. The properties of true jet lent itself well to jewelry design; easy to carve, able to keep a shaped edge, lightweight and inexpensive. Jet lockets, chains, beads and brooches were very popular in the 1860s and 1870s. Naturally, such success would breed imitators. Jewelry made from French Jet began to appear. For the record, French Jet is, in Bell's words, neither French nor jet - it is black glass, which was cheaper to manufacture. However, French Jet was heavier and was used mostly in the making of beads and smaller items.
Today, true jet is somewhat difficult to find and usually expensive. Consequently, the name "jet" is often applied to anything solid black - whether it is French Jet, onyx, black rhinestone, black glass or true jet. l's tips for distinguishing jet from black glass or onyx is by weight. "If you pick up a strand of beads and are immediately surprised by their light weight," she relates, "chances are they are jet. Jet also has sharp, precisely cut lines." As for me, I'm not a purist. While I have several pieces of true jet in my collection, I'm personally fascinated by the use and combinations of gorgeous black beads and shiny black rhinestones to achieve a rich, elegant effect. This fascination is in no way morbid, but quite consistent. Either that or, if you believe in reincarnation, in another life I must have been a widow - and a fairly well-dressed one at that - for a very long period of mourning.
Article courtesy of ‘The Collector News’ Magazine.
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