Mother's Day

Although Mother's Day as it is known in the United States dates back approximately 100 years, ancient polytheistic civilizations honored mothers through the celebration of gods that represented mothers. Isis was the mother goddess of the ancient Egyptians. The Greeks worshipped the mother goddess Rhea. The Romans celebrated Magna Mater (Great Mother). The holidays celebrating Rhea and Magna Mater both occurred in early Spring. Later in Christian Europe holidays developed honoring the "Mother Church." By the 17th Century, this evolved into Mothering Day in England which celebrated mothers. Mothers Day in the U.S.A. began in the early 20th Century through the efforts of a Sunday school teacher named Anna Jarvis after her mother's death. Her efforts resulted in President Woodrow Wilson proclaiming Mother's Day as an official holiday in 1914.

Mother's Day is coming up on Sunday, May 11, 2014. Rose is offering a sale at 30% off on her web site at BEADSHAPER

Triangle

A triangle by definition  is a 2 dimensional geometric figure with 3 corners (angles) and therefore it also has 3 sides. The ancient Egyptians used triangles in designing their pyramids. Some theorums concerning triangles have been attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras who lived in the 6th Century BC although there is some question as to whether Pythagoras himself formulated Pythagorean mathematics or whether it was done later by some of his followers. The triangle is important in the ideas of Euclidean geometry and is the basis for many mathematical formulae. Euclid was a Greek mathematician who lived about 300 years after Pythagoras (in the 3rd Century BC) in Alexandria which was a Hellenized Egyptian city. Persian and Chinese mathematicians wrote about the mathematics of triangles in the Middle Ages. The study greatly advanced in the 17th century with the work of the French mathematician Blaise Pascal.
The Jewish Star of David consists of 2 intertwining triangles. It has been found on some Hebrew artifacts dating back to antiquity, but later around the 17th Century it became a symbol of the Jewish religion.
Triangles have played a prominent role in various designs in jewelry and architecture. In sculpture and paintings, the triangles is more likely to be found more prominently in Modern Art although it might found in a more subtle way in earlier art.
The triangular shaped metal earrings pictured above were handcrafted by the Beadshaper. You can see more of her work at Metal Jewelry Shaper

Oval

The word oval means egg shaped or egg-like in shape. A geometric oval that is shaped with both points at each end equal (as opposed to a real egg in which one end is broader than the other) is called an ellipse.
An oval with a line inside it at one end was used in ancient hieroglyphics to surround the name of the Pharaoh. This oval was inscribed on an amulet that was worn by the Pharaoh. It came to signify good luck and eventually was worn by other people.
In architecture one of the earliest known religious temples was one with an oval floor plan found in Mesopotamia at Khafaja, Iraq which is believed to have existed around 2700 BC. In ancient Rome, amphitheaters were often oval shaped.
As for the oval shape in jewelry and beads, perforated egg shells were used in jewelry in Pre-Historic times. Later with the advent of civilization, ovals were found in jewelry made of various materials.
The oval shaped lampwork glass bead pictured above was handcrafted by the Beadshaper. You can see more of her work at Beadshaper

Pendants

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.
You can find a great assortment of modern day handcrafted pendants like the one pictured above at Metal Jewelry

Enamel

Enamel is made by heating and fusing colored glass fritte (ground up glass) to a solid material, usually metal or ceramic, producing a bright glassy smooth surface. Enamel is best known in colored metal jewelry of a certain appearance and in ceramic pottery.

The history of enamel goes back to ancient times. The ancient Egyptians used the technique mainly in finishing pottery. The ancient Persians, Greeks, and Romans enameled jewelry in addition to pottery. Enameling continued into the Middle Ages among the Gauls of Northern Europe, in Byzantium, and in the Islamic lands. It reached China around the 14^th Century where it has continued to remain popular to the present. Enameled jewelry became less popular in Europe in the 18^th Century, but its popularity revived in the 19^th Century and retained its popularity until now.

Some very good enameled copper pendants in addition to other metal jewelry can be found at
Metal Jewelry Shaper.

Evil Eye Protection

The superstition of casting an evil eye refers to the idea that one person can cause harm to another person by looking enviously at that person. Therefore one should hide one's good fortune, lest one might become the victim of an envious evil eye. This concept is believed to have originated in the earliest cultures in ancient Sumer and Egypt. It is most common in the cultures of the Mediterranean and Middle East. During Roman times it spread throughout the Roman Empire to areas far from its origin and subsequently was carried to the New World by Spanish and Portuguese colonists. In some cultures wearing protective amulets or gemstones is believed to give protection against the evil eye. Although this protection has been assigned to various gems, in certain cultures the color blue is supposed to be the most protective.
The blue sodalite pendant pictured above certainly would enhance your beauty even if it does not protect you from the evil eye. A number of pendants with dazzling gemstones can be found at Metal Jewelry Shaper and Beadshaper, and as for warding off evil, well it can't hurt.

History of Bezel Settings

History of Bezel Settings

A bezel setting is a strip of material (usually metal) attached to a piece of jewelry that encloses a gemstone keeping it affixed to the jewelry piece. Bezel settings date back to ancient times and were in use in ancient Mesopotamia 5000 years ago and shortly after that in Ancient Egypt. They have also been found in various other ancient civilizations including the Greek and Roman. This art continued into the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque periods, and into modern times. The word bezel comes from  the word biseau in Middle French (the language of France from the Renaissance into the Baroque period).

The silver pendant made by Rose and pictured above features a gem stone held in place by a silver bezel. It can be found at the Metal Jewelry Shaper web site.