Favorite Pearl Single Strand Clasp?

[CLICLASP]

..........

As for how they used Horus, I have no idea. I can't quite figure out how they might have used it. It doesn't really look like a clasp. Is it some kind of brooch?

Not a brooch but a clasp,
Ancients needed too to fasten their necklaces !!!
Fasten a necklace ( I mean open and close) has been a real concern all along 5000 years of jewellery story (I mean story not pre-history, the oldest ornaments found were as far as 100 000 years old)
since we notice there are new types of clasps on the market still today and there will be more in the future, who knows ...

so how to use an Horus clasp ?

 

[borah]

I'm completely stumped. I want to say that maybe there's a little device that comes out from Horus' neck and snaps in to keep the necklace in place (kind of the way you use a bead cone to hide all the different strands of a necklace), but that seem very efficient (or likely )

 

[Sueki]

Hi Borah,
Yes, winter nights here....
I hate the early nightfall. Go to work in the dark, come home in the dark.
Only see daylight at weekends....

 

[Nerida]

Edinburgh would be even darker, wouldn't it Sueki?

 

[Sueki]

Hi Nerida,
Yes, the further north, the earlier it gets dark.
Now I think of Inge; who am I to complain eh ?

 

[CLICLASP]

Sorry everyone, but I am very found of nothern lights
I love that light, a very specific white light ; Scotland and Sweden and Norway, so lovely places, don't give too much compassion,
On the contrary, I am often looking to the weather forecasts in places where there are storms such as Miami and Carribbean islands ...

 

[jerin]

Considering that you still can read newspapers without any artificial light in the northern parts of Sweden at 11 PM in summer, the situation is quite OK. On the other hand in Wintertime it means that our Northern parts don?t get any sun at all and for 6 months it is almost all the time dark... takes a strong psychic mind to make it through the year...

 

[Nerida]

Hi Inge,
I would love the extended twilights during the summer! Winter on the other hand, would see me dashing down to Spain or Portugal, I think! Seriously though, is there an issue with depression during the winter?

Oh and by the way - check the album I have put on my profile page, Inge - then stop buying pearls for a couple of months and come down here and visit me in Sydney! (maybe during your winter??)

 

[Sueki]

Just looked at your album, Nerida, and am reminded of the postcard I have stuck on my fridge.
It's a photo. of the Sydney Opera House, artistically doctored to resemble a rack of dishes !
I love the Aussie sense of humour.

 

[Nerida]

Most Australians can manage a good long laugh at themselves - part of our British colonial ancestry, I imagine!

 

[jerin]

Hi Inge,
I would love the extended twilights during the summer! Winter on the other hand, would see me dashing down to Spain or Portugal, I think! Seriously though, is there an issue with depression during the winter?

Oh and by the way - check the album I have put on my profile page, Inge - then stop buying pearls for a couple of months and come down here and visit me in Sydney! (maybe during your winter??)

Hi Nerida,
I would love to visit you but even my stopping buying pearls will not give me that kind of money I would need once I am in Australia. Sydney - I just loved it. Alas, the money spent there in one week would have gotten me some real nice pearls but by then I had not heard about PP or the others..

I will check your profile page and the album of cours and to answer the first question - indeed we have a lot of people trying to kill themselves during this dark time (mostly men), why that is so I do not know but of course 22 hours a day without light gets the strongest people?s minds out of balance and depression is rather common. We do have light therapy though but as you can imagine there are not enough of these to cover what would be needed, unfortunately.

Just had a look at the lovely photos - beautiful. Pretty brave to take a 100 km walk.... when will it be finished?

 

[Mervione]

I think that another reason why people get depressed during winter is the lack of colours outdoors. All you can see is various shades of gray, white and black. Even the sky almost always are gray. I think colours are more important for our emotions than we give them credit for.

 

[Nerida]

Hopefully before I go to the Hong Kong show in a fortnight's time. Otherwise I hope my walking buddies wait until I come back and don't finish the walk without me!! It's not so brave - most of the single days' walks are around 18km or so - not too far at all.. but in some places extremely steep and rough - other places very gentle! I would have loved to do the walk in "one hit" - stopping overnight somewhere, but life, and responsibilities, don't really allow for that!

 

[CLICLASP]

I'm completely stumped. I want to say that maybe there's a little device that comes out from Horus' neck and snaps in to keep the necklace in place (kind of the way you use a bead cone to hide all the different strands of a necklace), but that seem very efficient (or likely )

So, back to the topic (though I like northern lights anyway )

You are right Borah, but it does not snap, but very efficient as you noticed, ancient egyptians were very clever in jewellery making, prefering silver, rarer than gold, and used to make glass beads when missing stones, favorite stones were cornelian, lapis.

see it hereunder, enjoy

 

[Sueki]

Hi Cliclasp,
Now I have a new favourite clasp - it's beautiful !

 

[Valeria101]

The falcon piece seems to function like an ending rather then clasp per see... keeping the rows of the necklace spread out and the weight of the front in balance (this balancing function of back endings on traditional beaded collars is even documented - now I have to remember in which text! It is a parable about the order of things... can't be too hard to find since there are only that many papyri translated anyway.)

... not that I wouldn't call this a 'clasp' - I really like the idea of necklaces tied in the back with tassels or ribbon (the gesture feels good; and the look exotic somehow not 'unfinished').

 

[CLICLASP]

Hi Valeria, you are right and so precise
in Museum those pieces are called "clasps" anyway, I think in the meaning of a piece that allows to open and close the necklace.

this balancing function of back endings on traditional beaded collars is even documented

The necklaces were so heavy that they had a counter-weight in the back called "menkhet".
Use of animal representations is related intended to take both strenght and protection from the animal, taken along by the person going to the kingdom of deaths ; which was utmost important in Egyptian conception of after-life (sorry litteral personal translation....)

Ornament was very important in life of whealthy egyptians and a lot of jewellery has been found (since XIX century).
These "clasps" have been used from - 2700 to -300 (about)

BTW, haven't we the "knot" choice in the poll ?

 

[borah]

Now I get it! I kept picturing the head as a two part clasp that came apart somewhere. It's amazing to think how long it's survived.

 

[Valeria101]

...
in Museum those pieces are called "clasps" anyway, I think in the meaning of a piece that allows to open and close the necklace.

'Bet that's right. It is quite amazing how much detail remains about Egyptian trivia - even necklace fastening!

In the meantime, I managed to ID the respective text (part of the litany of daily rituals from the temple of Seti I at Abydos associated with the fastening of various types of necklaces) but don't have it in the house.

Speaking of weighted necklaces, you wouldn't call the weight of a Menat necklace a 'clasp', would you? Very strange that one ...

 

[CLICLASP]

Since that was not used to open and close, but as a counterweight for heavy collar necklace, it cannot be called a clasp, but interesting to know about , when whe talk on how to string and finish a necklace,
Noticeable that some pearl necklaces by Cartier nowadays show a back ornament made of a bunch of pearls... but not as counterweight... or not yet ?