|
• Red Vulcanite
Heishe, Circa early 1900s (Origin: Europe; Collected: Africa)
• Handcrafted Coin Silver Domed and Beaded Pendant from India,
Circa 1930 – 1950 (Origin: India; Collected: India)
• Handmade Clay Beads, Circa Unknown (Origin: Mali; Collected:
Northern Africa)
• Handcrafted Sterling Silver Toggle Clasp from Thailand
• Sterling Silver Findings
• Finished with Silver French Bullion
• Length: 16.25”
N0908-115:
Click Here
to return to the Artifacts Sold Collection Page.
VULCANITE BEADS: Folklore has it that these red beads were
made from old records but they are actually made from an early
rubber product called “Vulcanite”. Vulcanite is a hard,
moldable rubber that has been formed by “vulcanizing” natural
rubber through a curing process that involves high heat and
the addition of sulfur, resulting in a hard substance. Today,
vulcanite is popularly used in the form of “heishe” (slices)
in strands of beads. These heishe are very popular in some
parts of Africa, such as among the Mossi of northern Ghana and
Burkina Faso and were made in Bohemia – modern day Slovakia
and the Czech Republic.
INDIAN SILVER PENDANT: The origins of Indian jewelry lie
buried in antiquity. Archeaological finds reveal a wealth of
ornaments and statuettes wearing ornaments indicating an
unbroken jewelry tradition. As far back as ancient times,
jewelry was worn as decoration, as well as religious
adornments. Much Indian jewelry was subject to tribal
variation and still has strong ritual significance. It is
enjoined on parents to include a certain amount of jewelry in
a daughter’s dowry. At the time of her marriage, an Indian
woman puts on jewelry which is removed only when she becomes a
widow or at the time of her death. Both Indian men and women
often wear amulets. An amulet box is essentially a portable
shrine, case or locket which may hold a charm, lock of hair,
relic, prayer or other items of devotion. An amulet can also
be a lucky piece of jewelry or ordinary object that supposedly
protects its wearer against evil, injury, disease, bad luck or
negative forces. Amulets date back to early man and are very
common to several religions. The idea that a part of something
or an object resembling something else can influence the
course of events is deeply ingrained in many societies.
|
