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On Wire Jewellry in the Medieval Period
Good books on the subject:
- Welch, Martin Discovering
Anglo-Saxon England isbn 0-271-00894-6
- has some information
on grave-finds, including color pictures of a double pin connected by
a chain and spiraled-wire beads.
- Ogden, Jack Ancient
Jewellry (from the _Interpresting the Past_ series) by ISBN0-520-08030-0
- Slim book, lots of
information and illustrations. Ancient wire-making techniques, chains,
etc.
- Egan, Geoff and Pritchard,
Frances Dress Accessories c1150 - c1450 Medieval Finds from Excavations
in London: 3 isbn 0 11 290444 0
- In-depth catalogue
and study of artefacts from the Museum of London excavations of the
London waterfront. Lots of clear photographs, some colour plates, many
detail drawings of jewelry, belts, pins and other accesories. Extremely
useful to the medieval costumer for all the finishing touches.
I've copied several pieces from this book, in particular
two copper wire annular brooches, shown on p 254,
fig 164, artefacts 1340 and 1341. Descriptions of these artefacts and
two further similar pieces (one in gold, from York) are given on p 256.
The chapter of Hair Accessories is of especial interest. I've made several
of the decorative u-pins (p295, fig 196), and recreated
possible original states of both of the nearly-complete circlets/headdress
frames, which are made of silk-covered wire.
There are also spiraled wire beads and of course chains from anglo-saxon
england, rome, etc, as well as a sort of naalbinding technique used to
make chains from viking times to the present (although modern examples
are mostly from the Middle East and North Africa).
Jewelry and personal items made after items in Dress Accessories
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A grouping of homemade period items
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A grouping of homemade period items, this time with
a wooden jewelry casket bound in incised leather.
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A full-size (1") and a double-size (2")
reconstruction of a small double-spiral ornamented ring brooch in
Dress Accessories (p 254, fig 164, artefacts 1340 and 1341). There
are actually numerous examples of this type of brooch, in base and
precious metals.
Mine are all in copper.
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A conjectural brooch made with a flattened coil wired to two concentric
rings and decorated with flat spirals at the compass points. It
is all copper.
A reconstruction of a simple but effective little (1") flattened
coil brooch. It has no foundation ring. Mine is copper with an iron
pin.
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A first attempt to create a period grooming set (earspoon, tweezers
and toothpick) after examples shown in Dress Accessories.
Mine is made from hammered copper sheet, cut and shaped, with fine
brass wire wrapped around to provide grips. it is perforated and
strung on a small chain, which depends from a brooch.
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Hair or veil pins made after examples shown
in Dress Accessories (p295, fig 196). They show the characteristic
doubled-spiral decoration. The originals were in copper, brass,
silver and gold (if I recall correctly).
These I made in two sizes, all in copper. I have since made more,
in brass.
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A draft of a conjectural recreation of the
fragmentary iron wire headgear with silk-wrapped spiral brass wire
decoration shown in Dress Accessories.
These pictures are larger than the others to attempt to show the
detail of the piece.
Mine is made of heavy copper wire for the base, instead of iron,
because it is easier for me to work with. The spiral decoration
is made of brass wire, wrapped with cotton embroidery floss, which
was then formed into the double spiral motif. The base wire was
wrapped with the same floss, and this was used to secure the ends
of the wire into smoothly covered loops. Finally, the decoration
was attached by wrapping on a further layer of floss. The ends were
sewn down to secure them. It is held shut with a matching floss
tie.
I have not attempted to attach a veil to this piece because I'm
saving the good translucent silk for the final product.
It is not known if the original is in fact a circlet or if it is
some other kind of head ornament, such as a veil frame. The original
was found to have fragments of a transparent silk veil attached
to the spiral decoration, and one end of was formed into a hook
or opened loop. The other end was broken off.
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This is a reconstruction of the silk-wrapped iron wire circlet
with silk-wrapped square knot decoration in two colors shown in
Dress Accessories.
Mine is made of heavy copper wire for the base, instead of iron,
because it is easier for me to work with.
The base wire was wrapped with yellow-dyed unspun silk, and this
was used to secure the ends of the wire into smoothly covered loops.
The ornamental wires are copper, wrapped with blue and red dyed
unspun silk. These were carefully knotted around the base wire so
as to form decorative square knots at regular intervals (about 1
inch apart). Once these were attached, red silk was used to smoothly
cover the ends of the decorative wires near the loops.
Finally, the circlet is held closed by a sily cord tied through
the loops.
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| The two circlets, together. |
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| Another image of the two together, on edge
to show details. |
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