Spring 1999
I've
always known I wanted to be an artist. When I was a kid I would
braid grass bracelets and paint on rocks. I think I've tried every
craft and left plenty unfinished. It's an attention span thing,
if it isn't passionately exciting I can't seem to finish. When
I first worked with metal in high school, I knew I found something
I liked. It didn't unravel or collapse or change color when you
weren't looking. The changes you made to it stayed. And it seemed
like moves you made that weren't really planned could inspire
the most creative moments. I think I like the energy and excitement
of the process too. Again, that experience came from high school.
I would stay late and help our art teacher cast the classes silver
rings. She would use this huge torch with a totally hypnotic flame
- I can still hear the powerful rumble it made. When the metal
was molten she would yell 'now' and I would pull the pin and we
would duck. Sometimes the kids wouldn't mix the investment right
or put the model too close to the top and the silver would break
through the back of the flask and fly across the room. What Excitement!
What a thrill! I wanted to do this for the rest of my life!
I seem to be on a bracelet thing lately. Bracelets for women, bracelets for men, bracelets for everyone! I think I like them because they have no specific symbolism attached to them and they are such an easy wear. Symbols are good but sometimes a woman just wants to be symbol-less. Speaking of bracelets, I came across an interesting jeweler named Benjamin Marks from NYC that offered some historical trivia on bracelets. Here it is, enjoy!
Bracelets...It's really a Man Thing.
For all you dainty lasses who wear these pretty gold and silver circlets around your wrists and who think...hmmm....look what we women invented...think again. Cuz...the way the info was sent to me is like this: It started back in Grecian times, when the bold, brave and mighty soldiers of the land wore protective bands of leather--often decorated with neat gold and silver stuff--on their forearms, and called these bands "Bracels". (From the Latin Brachium ...meaning: Arm) When women caught on that these Bracels would look great on them, perhaps even better than they did on the soldiers, they started wearing smaller versions, called little Bracels...or "Bracel-ets". And from that point on folks, bracelets become a Woman Thing.
Well...that information above might be in some dispute by some because there are records of bracelets being worn by Sumerians back around circa 2500 BC. Samples were found in the royal tombs at Ur. In those days, when Kingy died...he wasn't buried alone. Nay nay sweet hearts. With him went his servants and his guards and his musicians, and a ton of his jewelry...including bracelets.
Shooting forward to circa 2000 BC and Ancient Egypt...bracelets emerged as major pieces of jewelry and were worn by, among other people, Princess Sit-Hathor-Yunet. She was a great jewelry buff and had her jewelers make things for her hair and her head and her fingers and her ears. Rumors have come back to me that there was once a factory there called Tyler-Adamut. I can't verify this...but I've heard that my ancestors were a nomadic bunch and could be found all over the place. I've inherited the Jewelry Gene from these ancestors of mine, affectionately called JG in my family, and that's why I make such nice stuff. Heritage folks...though modesty forbids me from truly bragging.
Anyone out there old enough to remember when Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD? No? Well...you know what they found in Pompeii, don't you? Yup...you got it folks. Bracelets. And more Bracelets. And more Bracelets again. Most of it made by that great Roman Jeweler, Tyleria Adamia.
Ah...we're back to the Man Thing. It's the 10th Century. The Battle of Maldon. The Vikings...a truly heroic group if there ever was one. They demanded...demanded, I say, arm rings as tribute from the vanquished. And I'll tell you all something right now. If it's good enough for a Viking...it's good enough for me. Did I ever tell you about my great great great grandfather Tyleridahl Adamfjordhab. A truly talented jeweler. Crafted a mean golden hammer for some pretty famous folks. Some said he copied his hammer from Thor's...but I heard Tyleridahl was an innovator.
The history of bracelets stretches forward through the Middle Ages of medieval Europe through the Baroque period of the 18th century, and on right through to the present. And though it is usually thought of as a Woman Thing to wear, let us not forget the great warriors of the past, who had their mighty biceps, bulging with power, wrapped in gold.
Benjamin Mark