Jewels and the woman: The romance, magic and art of feminine adornmentOstier, Marianne
History
Jewels and the woman: The romance, magic and art of feminine adornment
Ostier, Marianne
Jewelry
When the jewel was first chosen, although the design was doubtless
appropriate to the times, the basic consideration was the beauty of the
gems, their intrinsic value, and what they could do to beautify the woman
for whom they were selected. These things have not changed. Nor has the
woman’s love for them, nor—we have assumed—her love for the donor. But
the brightness of the design has faded. Remodelling with a fresh design
will put a new jewel in the ear and a new sparkle in the eye. The old
sentiment will be refurbished, the old love will gleam anew.
_The Contemporary Jewels_
It is surprising how, though the stones themselves remain unchanged,
remodelling can create an entirely new jewel. Many an old-fashioned piece
now in a safety vault, sheltered from all but the dust of time, can be
given a beautiful modern setting and restored to an active place in one’s
evenings. Modern design not only can give the precious stones a new
styling, but can bring out their beauty as it never shone before.
Even the solitaire diamond, simplest of jewels and seemingly most
constant in fashion, can be given a helpful face-lifting. Higher settings
have been devised which permit the light to radiate more fully from all
angles of the facet surfaces. The powers of reflection of which we know
more now than in former years are thus used in additional interplays of
light.
_Modern Movement_
A piece of jewelry made some years ago is likely to be symmetrical. This
type of design contains a quiet beauty. The great classical statues are
symmetrical; that is, if a vertical line is drawn down from the middle of
the forehead, the body will be equally distributed on each side; an arm
thrust forward is balanced by a leg held back. Thus all is in equipoise,
calm and quiet.
But the modern figure in marble, bronze or other material, by some
subtle shifting of the balance will be out of equilibrium. The sculptor
Rodin has a great figure of John the Baptist, taking a giant stride—with
both feet flat on the ground. This, some may exclaim, is an anatomical
impossibility. Precisely! In Rodin’s statue, as the eye flicks from one
foot to the other, the figure has taken the step! By this and other
sorts of manipulation, the modern sculptor endows his figures with
expectant motion.
The comparison of jewelry with sculpture is especially apt, for the
three-dimensional jewelry of today presents a challenge to the sculptor.
Some of the great sculptors of all times have worked with the precious
metals; some of the jewel designers have had training with sculptors’
materials and tools. I have often been gratified that I graduated from
the Vienna Academy of Arts and Crafts as a sculptor, and many of my
jewels I consider examples of the sculptor’s art.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account