Unit 3

Jewelry and Watches

From archaeological excavations, we have learned that jewels have been favored by humans since as early as 20,000 B.C. Materials such as shells, ivory and wood were crafted into imaginative ornamentation.

Symbolic purposes of jewelry:

17th century England,

funeral rings were worn to

commemorate the deaths of

aristocracy.

Jewelry is functional as well as an

adornment

Ex. Belts, Necklaces, Pins & Rings

Engagement rings

Wedding rings

Fraternal pins

School rings

Historical Overview

Some of the earliest finds come

from Mesopotamia (region between

Syria & Iran) where hammered gold

and lapis lazuli stones were

discovered.  The patterns included

leaf designs, flowers & animals

Ancient Egypt jewelry featured animal

heads, the eye and the ankh.

700 B.C. Greece- simple gold and

silver jewelry that featured animal

heads and mythological figures.

 

The great period of Chinese jewelry

was created from AD 960-1270.

 Jade is the major precious ingredient

found in Chinese jewelry.

During the Renaissance period of the

15th & 16th centuries elaborate

versions of religious symbols were

commonplace.

17th century – Baroque featured grand

ornamental designs.  

Ex. Faceting was used to increase

brilliance of the stones; and diamonds

overwhelming dominated the scene.

18th century – Rococo style

underplayed the lavishness of

Baroque.

19th century – Victorian England- new

technology:

Electroplating made jewelry

affordable.

 Lockets and brooches were popular.

20th century – Art Noveau themes:

Lilies, water, butterflies,

peacocks, women with long

flowing hair

Art Deco designs : geometric

patterns

Native American jewelry types

include:

Bangle bracelets, earrings,

necklaces, belt buckles, and

brooches that combine metal

and stones.Each tribe contributes a specific style that represents its own culture.

Sioux Tribe Lakota Tribe

Cherokee Tribe

Designs included:

Squash blossom – necklaces

with silver beads and turquoise.

Navajo – heavy silver in

symmetrical patterns

Zuni – more delicate than

Navajo, using stones inlaid in metal

Hopi – two layers of metal

joined with a design cut in the

top layer of metal to expose the

lower one.

Santo Domingo- primarily

beadwork

Squash Blossom

Navajo

Zuni

Hopi

Santo Domingo

Production Techniques

After the design has been conceived

and sketched, it is ready to be

transformed into a piece of jewelry.

Fusing – liquefying the metals and

joining them without the use of another

metal.

Soldering – requires the use of a

separate metal that has a lower

melting point to join metallic parts.

Drawing – jewelers make thick

wires into thinner gauges.

Casting – this process involves

making a cast or mold into which

molten metals are forced.

Stone Settings

Tiffany setting – is typically used

for stones that are to prominently

displayed without the intrusion of too

much metal.

•4-6 prongs in U-shaped openings

are used to hold a stone in place.https://youtu.be/3HOVVXdU_w0

Illusion setting – is used to give

the impression that the stone it

holds is larger than its actual size.

 It uses a metal border that features

a design that surrounds the prongs.

 This patterned design creates the

illusion of a larger stone.

Cluster setting – generally six

stones used to surround one in the

center.

Pave setting – has extensive blank

areas that are tooled into little bead-

like surfaces that surround a number of

small stones (paved with stones) – gives

the surface a brilliant effect.

Channel setting – the stones are

lined up next to each other with no

metal between them and set into

grooves or channels.

Bezel setting – holds a stone in

place by a rim of metal that goes

around its entire perimeter.

 Sometimes it is called a flush

setting.

Buttercup head setting – has six

prongs that rise from a scalloped base

and resemble a flower bud.  It is used

for pendants and earrings

Paste settings – used for

inexpensive jewelry.  The stones

are glued into the setting.

Jewelry Styles

Rings – bands worn on

fingers

Marriage

Engagement

Graduation

Dinner or cocktail

Bracelets

Bangle

Flexible

Charm

Necklaces

Choker – the shortest necklace

Bibs – hug the base of the neck

Matinee – 22 -24 inches

Opera lengths – 30 -32 inches

Rope – 45 inches long and may be

wrapped around neck

Stick pins – elongated decorative types

Brooches – Pins

Lapel pins – used on suit lapels

Earrings

Clip–ons – screw backs grip the

ears Pierced – posts that pass

through the ear lobe.

Earring jackets – are made with

holes in their centers so that small

studs may be inserted in them.

Watches – for other than military

use, watches achieved acceptance

in the mid 1800’s

Mechanical watches – dates

back several hundred years.

•Mainspring barrel used

•Loud ticks

For precision, use jeweled

movements.  (eliminates the noise)

17 jewel movement – uses 17 jewels

as friction points on watches.

Electronic – first electronic watch went

into production in 1956 – power cell

used.

Advantages

•Elimination of ticking sound

•  Keeps better time than jewel movements

•  Fewer parts

Digital watches – a timepiece that uses

solid-state components instead of

moving parts and displays the actual

time whenever a button is pushed

Quartz Watch- a timepiece that

has accuracy 10 times greater than

that of the conventional watch.