Pre-Historic Jewelry

The oldest evidences of the use of jewelry were necklaces, bracelets, and painted seashells found in caves in North Africa from about 80,000 years ago. Neanderthal people were believed to have worn seashell necklaces about 50,000 years ago. Animal teeth were worn as necklaces in addition to shells. People started importing exotic materials for making accessories that were not found in their own locations around 30,000 years ago. Beads were at times used for trading in primitive commerce. This was the precursor of money. Jewelry were manifestations of people’s awareness of their identities and were part of the progress toward civilization. Ultimately with the onset of civilization in Mesopotamia and Egypt, jewelry became more elaborate.
You can see present day handcrafted jewelry at Beadshaper

Earrings

Earrings in the dawn of civilization had religious significance and only later were worn for fashion. The oldest known earrings were found in graves of nobility in Mesopotamia and date back to about 2500-3000 BC. Ancient earrings were mostly hoop and pendant styles although a plug style was worn in ancient Egypt. Earrings were a sign of wealth because poor people could not afford the expensive materials of which they were made. There was a superstion that they made eyesight better. The wearing of earrings declined in Medieval Europe at which time they were considered too flashy but returned again in the early 17th Century. They temporarily went out of fashion in the early 18th Century when bonnets which obscured the ears were in fashion. Screw back earrings were invented and became popular in the early 20th Century. Light and simple styles were popular in the 1950s. More variety in color and texture became popular in the 1960s. Pierced earrings came back into style in the 1970s and have remained so since then.
See Earrings for examples of contemporary earrings handcrafted by the Beadshaper that you can purchase.

Origin of Etching

Engraving is the art of cutting a design into a hard material like metal or stone and has been practiced since prehistoric times. Etching is the art of engraving a design in metal with an acid by protected the metal that is not etched. The technique was developed during the Middle Ages in Europe and possibly earlier in ancient times. The German craftsman, Daniel Hopfer, who lived in the late 15th and early 16th Centuries, used the technique of etching in designing armour. He came up with the idea of using etching to make templates for printing pictures.
Etching remains an art form both for printing pictures and designing jewelry and other art.
The pendant necklace and earrings pictured above were created by the Beadshaper

Penguins

Penguins live in the southern hemisphere. Larger penguins live in and near Antartica. Smaller penguins live in warmer climates as far north as near the equator. Penguins were first discovered by European explorers when they sailed south below the equator. The word penguin comes from the French word pingouin which is the word for auk. The great auk was a large bird that looked somewhat like the penguin and lived in the northern hemisphere. The great auk became extinct by the middle of the 19th Century because it was over hunted.
The glass penguin beads pictured above are part of large collection created by the Beadshaper and presented at shows in Pasadena and concord, California this summer.

Symmetry

The concept of symmetry has existed since prehistoric times. Creatures usually are naturally are born symmetrical, i.e. the same or at least similar on both sides. Symmetry is described in mathematics as well as in the arts. There is a beauty to symmetry as well as in artistically performed asymmetry.
The beads above are arranged symmetrically. You can see more of the Beadshaper's handcrafted lampwork glass beads at Beadshaper . Rose will also be offering her creations in shows at 3 locations in California this Summer and Fall, Pleasanton, Concord, and Pasadena. See Shows for details.

History of Elixirs

Elixirs are herbs dissolved in alcohol. The idea of elixirs as cures or having magical powers is supposed to have begun in China. It later spread to India. By the Middle Ages it reached Europe where certain monks would make their versions. European explorers and settlers brought the concept to the New World during the Age of Exploration. "Snake Oil" charlatans later sold elixirs to people as cure alls. A comic opera by Donizetti called the Elixir of Love is a story of a charlatan who sells an elixir to a young man who wants to make a certain woman notice him. Ultimately it gives him the confidence he needs to win her over.
The bracelet pictured above was handcrafted by the Beadshaper and named The Elixir of Love after the title of the opera. It is available for purchase online at http://www.beadshaper.com

Origin of the Art of Movies

The concept of moving pictures began in the 19th Century. The earliest movies were boxes into which the viewer saw cards flipping fast enough to give the illusion of movement. Later the images were placed on celluloid strips, and by the turn of the century were projected onto a screen allowing for movies to be shown to a large audience in a theater. The first public commercial projected movie was screened in Paris in 1895. The first movie theater devoted exclusively to showing movies was the Nickelodeon which opened in Pittsburgh, PA in 1905. The name nickelodeon was then adopted by many silent theaters and became synonymous with silent movies. Silent movie theaters often employed pianists to accompany the films with music. Some of the large movie theaters had live vaudeville shows to entertain between movie showings. The art of performing in a silent film required the actors to express themselves in their facial expressions and body motions. Essentially they were mimes. The first movie with a sound track coordinated into the film was The Jazz Singer in 1927. Soon after that, the era of silent films ended. Some actors were able to successfully transition in expressing themselves verbally as well as visually. Others were not able and left movies. The early movies were black and white. Color films were invented in the 1930s, but most films remained black and white until the 1960s. Now almost all films are in color. Black and white is used only in particular cases for a special effect.
The bead pictured above is black and white like the early movies and was handcrafted by the Beadshaper .

Tango

History of the Tango Dance

Tango began among the poor people in Buenos Aires in the 1800s. By the early 1900s it became popular among various people and spread to Europe. In the 1930s it developed into the Golden Age of Tango in Argentina and was a symbol of populism until a military coup in 1955 brought in a military junta which suppressed it. With the fall of the military junta in 1983, there was a tango renaissance which has lasted in Argentina until the present time. Tango has remained an exciting dance form throughout the world.
The bead pictured above handcrafted by the Beadshaper captures the fiery and sultry mood of the tango.

Filigree

Filigree is the art of weaving fine wire into a lace-like pattern. The word comes from the Latin word for thread. Filigree began in ancient times among the Egyptians and other cultures. It eventually was taken up by the Greeks and later Romans who brought it to many areas that they conquered. The Greeks brought the skill to India which was at the eastern end of their empire. The Indians developed it into an important part of their art. Byzantium and Moorish Spain were particularly prominent in continuing the art during the Middle Ages. It has remained popular even to present times.

The Beadshaper will be selling focus beads embedded in filigree bezels to make beautiful pendants at her upcoming shows. See Beadshaper Shows

What is Art?

The definition of art is controversial, although it has existed since prehistoric times (e.g. cave paintings). It is craft in which the purpose is partially or completely esthetic. It can exist for beauty sake alone, or it can have a practical purpose but is nontheless artistic (e.g. beautiful architecture). Art in ancient and medieval times was often used for religious expression. Art is sometimes used to express a political idea. Whatever the purpose, there should be some esthetic element to make a work art.
You can see a number of artistic glass beads and jewelry created by Rose at Beadshaper

History of Poetry

Poetry is a form of verbal expression in which the beauty of the words, rhythm, and rhyme are important as well as the content of the expression. Poetry began in prehistoric times and continued through historic times into the present. Poetry was an aid to remembering oral history but was continued even after the invention of writing because of its beauty. Early poetry was used in religious worship and for recording history. The Sumerian saga of Gilgamesh was the oldest poetic saga that can still be read today. The ancient Greeks and Romans wrote muich of their literature in poetic form. Today documents are usually written in prose, and poetry is appreciated mainly as an artistic expression.
See Classic Love Poetry to see examples of classic love poetry and beads and jewelry named for those poems..

Dance

Dance dates back to prehistoric times and into the dawn of civilization in almost all cultures. Pictures of dancers have been found on the walls of ancient Egyptiam tombs as well as other ancient edifices in both Western and Eastern cultures. Dance in ancient times was often involved in religious ritual. It also can tell a story. In Hawaiian dance and the dances of India the motion of the hands communicates ideas instead of verbal communication. Dance is usually accompanied by music or rhythm of drums. Dance can be a an expression of sensuality by the movements of the body. Theater dance has taken various forms. Ballet began in the period of the Italian Renaissance and over the years spread throughout Europe as a classical art form. Modern dance began in the 20th Century as a theater dance. Social dance began in the Renaissance and took various forms. The waltz began in the 19th Century as a one on one dance with a man and a woman. This led to various one on one dances that make up ballroom dancing.
Beadshaper

Flowers for Expression of Emotions

Various types of flowers have been used to express emotions since ancient times. There are references to flowers in the Bible as well as the literature of the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and people of the Far East. In 18th Century Sweden, flowers were sent to convey specific messages. This concept was developed further in 19th Century Victorian England when flowers were used to send messages that were considered less than appropriate in the spoken word, for example red roses expressed passion and white expressed chastity. In contemporary times when language and visual images are more graphic, flowers are still enjoyed for their beauty.
The Beadshaper has created many beads decorated with flowers and others shaped as flowers. Some of them can be found at http://www.beadshaper.com