PENDANT

Pendants were among the earliest forms of jewelry. A copper pendant believed to have been made in Sumeria, the first civilization, around 8700 B.C. has been found by archaeologists. In Babylonia around the 8th Century B.C. seals that were used to sign documents by imprinting in wet clay tablets were worn as pendants. The earliest pendants were made of stone, but later glass and gemstones were substituted. The Pharaohs in agent Egypt wore a type of pendant called a cartouche. The cartouche had a rectangular shape and had the name of the Pharaoh inscribed on it. It was supposed to protect him from evil. The ancient Greeks made gold pendants. The Greek necklace often featured multiple small vase-shaped pendants portraying figures of deities in Greek mythology. The ancient Romans also made gold pendants, but they more often consisted of one focal pendant. Sometimes a cabochon gem would be set in the gold pendant. Pendants were also worn in ancient India and ancient China.

The pendant pictured above can be found at ANCIENT AGATE PENDANT - Pendants and Focal Glass Beads (beadshaper.com)

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FANNY

The name Fanny or Fannie is of French and Latin origin. In Latin it means from France. In French it means free. It can be derived from the Spanish name Estefany (Stephanie) which means crown. Among American Jews in the early twentieth Century, it was an Anglicized version of Feygele (little bird).

There are a number of famous women who were named Fanny or Fannie. Examples were Fanny Brice (American comedian and actress), Fannie Davies (British pianist), Fanny Kekelaokalani (member of Hawaiian royal family of the Kingdom of Hawaii in the 19^th century), and many others.

The picture above is of a handcrafted lampwork glass bead named Fanny Fish. It can be found at FANNY FISH LAMPWORK PENDANT (beadshaper.com)

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ABSTRACT ART

Pure abstract art is art where there are no figures that look the way people and objects look to the human eye. Until the invention of the camera in the 19th Century, art was the only way that people could copy reality as we see it. Advances in art over time improved on this depiction of reality from the 2 dimensional drawings that existed from the time of cave drawings through most of the Middle Ages. With the coming of the Renaissance, artists developed the technique of drawing lines and varying sizes to give paintings depth. Sculpture was always 3 dimensional but achieved a maximum of realism with Roman sculpture which was later revived during the Renaissance. With the invention of the camera, it was no longer necessary for art to be realistic, because photography did that. This resulted in Impressionism in which paintings still depicted people and objects, but the artist was free to add his own feelings to the picture, not just what his eye saw. Colors were often more vivid than the actual colors in real life. Pictures improved on reality. Then in the early 20th Century, this freedom from realism developed various degrees of abstraction, culminating in art that was completely abstract where there were no recognizable figures and colors represented the artists feelings or perceptions like sound and touch that in the past were not represented in visual art. Some of the earliest abstract artists were Wassily Kandinsky, Pablo Picasso, and Henri Matisse. Abstraction has influenced new art including functional art for the past century.

There are abstract influences in modern jewelry design as you can see in the design of the silver foil strip on the cuff bracelet pictured above pictured above. It can be found in the Beadshaper Gallery at BRASS AND SILVER CUFF BRACELET (beadshaper.com)

THE EARTH WOMAN SILENT FILM

The Earth Woman is an American silent film made in 1926. The film was produced by Dorothy Davenport and directed by Walter Lang. It can not now be seen because it has apparently been lost. The star of the film was Mary Aulden who played the Earth Woman. Other actors in the film included Priscilla Bonner, Russell Simpson, and Carroll Nye.

The copper cuff bracelet pictured above was inspired by the lost film. Although the film is lost, the bracelet can be found at EARTH WOMAN COPPER CUFF BRACELET (beadshaper.com)

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CUFFS

Although cuff bracelets date back to ancient times, fabric cuffs began in Europe during the Renaissance for the purpose of preventing the edge of shirt sleeves from fraying.

The metal cuff bracelet pictured above can be found at GLAZE-LIKE COPPER CUFF WITH STONES (beadshaper.com)

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ORIGINS OF GLASS BEAD MAKING

Glassmaking is believed to have begun about 5,000 years ago in the Middle East, perhaps in Mesopotamia. Some think glass was discovered as a by-product of making metal which had originated in an earlier millennium. The earliest glass objects were apparently beads. Since then the art of making beads has been perfected. The contemporary lampwork glass bead pictured above was created by Rose. You can see more of her glass beads in her web site gallery at www.beadshaper.com/gallery 

JEWELRY METALWORKING

Metal working means shaping metals into useful objects (artistic as well as functional). The earliest metalworking was probably from around 5000 BCE and the first metals were probably copper and gold. Copper is more abundant than gold, but copper usually needs to be refined from ore that is not pure copper, and gold occasionally can be found as pure nuggets. Later copper was alloyed with tin and other metals to make bronze which is stronger and more malleable. Even later copper was alloyed with zinc to make brass which is smoother than copper or bronze.

The copper cuff bracelet pictured above can be found at CAPTIVATING COPPER CUFF BRACELET (beadshaper.com)

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CUFF BRACELETS

Cuff bracelets date back to ancient times when it was often worn by nobility as a sign of social status. Pharoahs were depicted wearing cuffs in ancient pictures. Romans wore cuffs. In the Western hemisphere, Mayan Kings wore metal cuffs.
The copper cuff bracelet with a lampwork glass heart shaped bead pictured above was handcrafted by the Beadshaper and can be found at HEART BEAD ON COPPER CUFF (beadshaper.com)

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BRASS

Brass is a metal which is an alloy of copper and zinc with a bright yellowish color and a smooth low friction texture. Brass was probably first made around 500 BCE. It is used in making various items including musical instruments, plumbing, and jewelry.

You can find a brass bracelet at BRASS AND SILVER CUFF BRACELET (beadshaper.com)

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AMAZON WOMEN

The Amazon women in Greek mythology were supposed to be a community of women warriors who only kept men around for breeding. They were said to live at the southern coast of the Black Sea. Interestingly, archeological excavations of ancient ruins in that area has indicated that there were some women warriors among the people living in that area in ancient times.

You can find the cuff bracelet pictured above at AMAZON WOMAN COPPER CUFF BRACELET (beadshaper.com)

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BLACK LIVES MATTER

The Black Lives Matter movement protests racially motivated killing of Black Americans. Such killings in many cases have been facilitated by the gun anarchy that exists in our country. The movement began in 2013 after the murder of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman and the subsequent acquittal of Zimmerman.

The glass pendant pictured above is named Black Lives Matter. The light blue flowers and green stems represent life, and the black background represents Black Americans. The pendant can be found at BLACK LIVES MATTER GLASS PENDANT WITH BAIL (beadshaper.com)

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TURQUOISE

 

The color turquoise is the color between blue and green. A stone with that color has been known since ancient times. The ancient Egyptians mined it in the Sinai desert. The ancient Persians and Chinese also used it. It has been used by the Indians of Mexico and the US Southwest since Pre-Columbian times. The present day name of turquoise came into use 4 centuries ago and comes from the French word for Turkish. The pendant bead pictured above has the color turquoise but is made of handcrafted lampwork glass. It can be found at TURQUOISE GARDEN GLASS PENDANT WITH BAIL (beadshaper.com)

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OCEAN AND LAKE STONES

Millions of years ago of years ago, the earth began as gases spun off from the sun which cooled to form a core. As the earth cooled further, it formed an outer crust on which we now live. From time to time, gases would punch up from the core to or near the surface (like in volcanoes) and cool into rock. This could occur on land or under the water. Rocks could then move for various reasons (like water motion or earth movement) and break up into stones. In various locations this might result in underwater stones in oceans, lakes, and rivers or pile up on coastal land because of waves or regression of water.

The stones in the necklace pictured above are reminiscent of stones that one might see under the water or piled up on coastal land. That necklace can be found on the Beadshaper website at OCEAN STONES NECKLACE - Necklaces (beadshaper.com)

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NINE

The number 9 is more than 8 and less than 10. Nine is the square of 3. That means if you multiply 3 times 3 you get nine. Nine is the highest single digit number. In some forms of mysticism 9 has been called the number of magic, of completion, of wisdom, or of heaven. Nine represents Brahma in Hinduism. The ancient Romans wrote IX for nine. Roman numerals like IX are still used today to number chapters in books.

You can find the mysterious handcrafted glass pendant pictured above at NINE - Pendants and Focal Glass Beads (beadshaper.com)

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BARBARA

The name Barbara is of Geek origin and means “stranger.” It was popular for newborns in America in the first half of the 20^th Century but has declined recently. It is still popular for newborns in Eastern Europe. Some famous Barbara celebrities are Barbara Walters (born 1929), Barbra Streisand (born 1942), Barbara Eden (born 1931), Barbara Hershey (born 1948), and Barbara Bach (born 1947). A recent Barbara is a Hungarian model named Barbara Palvin (born 1993).

You can see Barbara Bluefish on the Beadshaper website at BARBARA BLUEFISH - Fashion Fish Lampwork - Handcrafted Lampwork Glass Beads, Pendants. (beadshaper.com)

You can see her sister, Brianna Bluefish, at BRIANNA BLUEFISH - Fashion Fish Lampwork - Handcrafted Lampwork Glass Beads, Pendants. (beadshaper.com)

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CLEOPATRA

Cleopatra VII was part of the Ptolemy royal family of Egypt during Roman times. The Ptolemies were descendants of Macedonians who ruled Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great. Cleopatra ruled Egypt together with her father, later her brothers, and finally her son. She was known for her cleverness and beauty. She cemented her rule over Egypt by having an affair with Julius Caesar resulting in a son who became officially her co-ruler. After Caesar was assasinated, she had an affair with Marc Antony resulting in more sons. Marc Antony and Cleopatra fought a war with Augustus Caesar over the control of the Roman Empire. Marc Antony and Cleopatra lost the war and both independently committed suicide. The son of Caesar and Cleopatra was later killed by the Romans which ended the Ptolemaic dynasty. Egypt then was incorporated as a province in the Roman Empire.

You can visit Cleopatra Carp on the Beadshaper website at CLEOPATRA CARP - Fashion Fish Lampwork - Handcrafted Lampwork Glass Beads, Pendants (beadshaper.com)

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GRETA

The name Greta is the diminutive of Margareta and is of German and Scandinavian origin. It means pearl. Famous women with the name Greta include Greta Garbo who was a famous Swedish American movie star in the 1930s and 1940s. A more recent personality with the name Greta is Greta Thunberg, a Swedish environmental activist born in 2003;

You can find a Beadshaper Fashion Fish handcrafted lampwork glass bead named Greta at GRETA GREYFISH - Fashion Fish Lampwork - Handcrafted Lampwork Glass Beads, Pendants (beadshaper.com)

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OCTAVIA

The name Octavia is of Latin origin and means the eighth. It was used to name the eighth daughter in the days when large families were popular. A number of women in Roman noble families were named Octavia, for example the wife of the emperor Nero. Nero later divorced Octavia to marry his mistress Poppea.

You can find a Beadshaper Fashion Fish handcrafted lampwork glass bead named Octavia at OCTAVIA ORANGEFISH - Fashion Fish Lampwork - Handcrafted Lampwork Glass Beads (beadshaper.com)

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NAOMI

The name Naomi is of Hebrew origin meaning pleasant. Naomi in the Bible was an Israelite woman who migrated with her husband and son to Moab. While in Moab, Naomi’s son married a Moabite woman named Ruth. After that, Naomi’s husband and son died leaving both Naomi and Ruth widows. When Naomi decided to return to Israel, Ruth being loyal to her mother-in-law, offered to go to Israel with her saying the famous phrase “whither thou goest.” Ruth later became the grandmother of King David, and Naomi was his great grandmother.

You can find a Beadshaper Fashion Fish handcrafted lampwork glass bead named Naomi at Fashion Fish Lampwork - Handcrafted Lampwork Glass Beads, Pendants. (beadshaper.com)

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GARDEN OF EDEN

The Garden of Eden is mentioned in the Book of Genesis in the Bible as well as elsewhere. It is described as an idyllic place where the first humans, Adam and Eve, lived with immortality until they were tempted to sin by eating the forbidden apple and then became mortal. There are various ideas about where Eden might have been although one could say there is no specific location if one considers the story of Eden to be allegorical rather than historical. The ancient Hebrews probably placed it somewhere east of Mesopotamia although that is not clear. In relatively recent times the Mormon religion, which is very North American centric, placed it in Missouri. Wherever the location or if there was a location, the story of Adam and Eve and their expulsion from Eden was a way for the ancients to explain human mortality, a problem that has bothered people from before the dawn of history and even today.

You can find the floral garden pendant bead pictured above at http://www.beadshaper.com/detail?item_id=43062&category_id=1764