It would’ve been quite an adventure to be in on the first California gold rush. And yet…people still search for gold recreationally. I’d try it myself, except I’m positive the romance of the idea would be quickly annihilated by a stiff back and mosquito bites. Do they have mosquitoes in the gold country? I won’t bother to find out.

The real question is; how much gold could you possibly recover in the 21st century? I haven’t got the slightest idea. Surely not even enough for a jeweler to craft an attractive handcrafted pair of gold earrings. But stranger things have happened.

I think I’ll let those serendipitous events fall into the laps of much younger men. But still, fantasies abound. I prefer to watch them do just that from the comfort of my air-conditioned apartment.

I’m interested in expanding my awareness of jewelry crafted by Third World artisans . To me, this work speaks of the joy of life, the dangers of life, the sorrows and the changes. It is jewelry that is exuberant and alive.

I would love to see more American artists creating wearable art that is so close to their everyday lives, reflecting what they dream about and how they go about their business. Maybe they do, but the color and the drama isn’t as apparent. There are some marvelous artists in our country; it isn’t my intention to demean anyone. But I’m a guy who likes my art to be “noisy.” And this doesn’t just apply to jewelry. Some of my favorite movies are richly layered and they can be a part of almost any genre. The original “Rocky” movie is one of my favorites!

Nowadays it’s a bit more difficult to find reasonably priced antique jewelry , but there are some wonderful shops around that offer beautiful work if you have the ready cash for it. I have spent many pleasant afternoons perusing the glass cases of antique stores in my neighborhood as well as in most cities across the country.

My favorite era has to be the 1920s through the 1940s- the art deco years. There were some fabulous cuff links crafted during this period, several examples of which I am a very proud owner. I actually wear my finds. Otherwise, what’s the point? Of course if you do wear your elderly jewelry you need to make sure all the parts are secure, fastenings and so forth. There’s nothing quite so upsetting as losing a pearl from an antique setting or worse yet, having an entire earring slip from your ear, lost to you forever.

The art of this period is tasteful and elegant, and I recommend you check out the work from these early 20th century jewelry artists.

Rings are so common now. I suspect not a lot of thought goes into their origin. It’s hard to say when the first rings were created, but in the 15th century they became a very important form of jewelry. Engraved gems, rings that could be used as seals and rings that contained religious relics were all popular.

Many of these rings were extremely ornate. Enamel, gemstones, and gold embellishments were the order of the day. Some of them had bezels that opened for carrying very small objects, or possibly a lock of hair. One of my reference books has a photograph of a matched pair of wedding rings from the 1500s- delicate bands with ornate gold wire worked into each piece.

Venice produced some of the most exquisite jewelry of that time, with filigree and extremely detailed workmanship common. It is a joy to see what our ancestors created for their customers, and how painstakingly they must have worked.

I think jewelry can be fun. When we were kids, the little girls in the neighborhood had colorful plastic beads with a little nub on one end and a hole on the other so they could connect them together and make necklaces and bracelets.

When they were separated they made a satisfying “pop” sound, thus the name.

I doubt if pop beads are as popular as they once were, but I think they were a great introduction to fun art, and a great way to introduce little girls to the fun of creating their own jewelry!

Men wear jewelry, have for a long time. But Henry VIII was the epitome of male adornment. He wore more jewelry than any of his 6 wives did, possibly more than all of them put together. He had whole suits of clothing that encompassed peals and jewels, sewn right into the fabric.

King Henry is thought of as a manly man (if possibly a tad off his rocker) but nonetheless he was a man that enjoyed the beauty of the gemstone. Even his feathered hat is adorned with jewels. In the famous portrait by Hans Holbein, the good king is depicted broad-shouldered and proud, displaying his fantastic parure, which means “suite of matching jewelry.”

That must have been a heavy outfit, but Henry was a fellow who could carry it off.

In the 20th century, some very famous artists decided to try their hand at jewelry making.
Most of these pieces were rather avant garde, such as the brooches crafted by Max Ernst and Salvador Dali.

The Dali brooch I’m familiar with is called “The Gold Cube Cross”, a remarkable piece rather hard to describe. It does involve a cross and some other sculptured jewels in a sort of spiked starburst. It is really quite lovely.

Perhaps it is these creative artists that began the modern interest in jewelry as wearable art. Some of our more modern artists are creating pieces that seem to shine with glorious personality and meaning, many of which can be seen in galleries both here and abroad.

In the 1920s and 30s there was an art explosion. If you’re a fan of deco jewelry, you will recognize it anywhere. The simple angles and fanciful designs were almost Egyptian in nature. And no small wonder; current to the time discoveries of ancient artifacts in Egypt helped inspire the deco movement.

Precious stones were sometimes used in deco pieces; one especially gorgeous design was by the firm of Linzeler and Marchak- a lady’s wrist watch decorated with enamel, emeralds and diamonds.

In the 20s, the flapper fashions called for long necklaces that reached below the waist. Some of these were also made of precious jewels, although the common girl was more likely to wear something created in one of the “modern” plastics, like baklite.

Some of the most colorful, marvelous jewelry was created during the years of the Renaissance.

Not just one type of gemstone, but several would be gathered together in a bright and playful concoction. A single necklace might include emeralds, rubies, sapphires, enamel work and pearls. Diamonds were used frequently, but gem cutters hadn’t figured out how to cut them yet, so they often appeared in their natural state, ground down a bit and polished.

This was the beginning of this gemstone’s importance in the world of fine jewelry making.

Plastic has been around for longer than most people realize. In the late 1800s various scientists were experimenting with chemicals of plant and animal origin and coming up with partially synthetic substances that were the forerunners of today’s plastic.

One of the early uses was in jewelry making! Bakelite was one of the more popular of the early plastics used for this purpose. There were some gorgeous designs popular in the Roaring 20s. Bright, bold colorful bracelets were happily worn by the flappers of that era. They weren’t expensive pieces (not then, anyway!) so most young working women could afford them.

Today, these vintage beauties are somewhat difficult to find, and when discovered are certainly not cheap!