How old is this pearl ? Play again !

[La Contessa]

My mother brought me to the cameo factories outside of Naples when I was a teenager, as many tourists are dropped off there for the cameos and inlaid wood arts.

It was fascinating and amazing exactly what and how they do this.

OF COURSE we BOUGHT cameos and a jewelry box - my mother was an excellent shopper and instilled early on my love of beautiful things. I miss her still

 

[CLICLASP]

Thanks for appreciating, this makes me very happy
A lot to come, and we have plenty of time to enjoy more

Don't miss Francesca's album with the caravel

Here we are in Renaissance period, far away from Middle ages and the one hundred years war between France and England.
Discovery of America, the great Pest, starving periods, Gutemberg and book printing and so ...sound like end of a period and begining of another.

One particular feature of artistic Renaissance was the re-discovery of greco-roman values in philosophy (humanism) and art, such as ....cameo largely using allegory and mythology.

When french King Francois I made war (again) against Italy 1515, he was astonished by the beauty produced by italian artists. So did he invited them to come to France, then the " Chateaux de la Loire" were built and Leonardo da Vinci stayed there.
So so so beautiful, don't miss them if you come one day there.

So this pendant was .......
an enameld gold setting on a Sostratos' cameo, with a baroque pearl on the bottom, this setting will inspire artists some centuries later ... keep on checking, coming soon...

 

[CLICLASP]

Wanting more ?

Early exploration of the "New World" and International trade was encouraged by scientifical curiosity, competition between european nations, hope of earning money for merchants (rise of european prices due to an increasing population and bad crops made imported goods more competitive).

Sorry for so many history but it is so captivating and illustrates the reason of arrival of new materials in Europe

PEARLS
A lot of baroque pearls (from a portugese word meaning irregular) arrived from the Indian route and America as well. Plus pearls coming from european rivers (Tay pearl and so).
These irregular shapes stimulated the imagination of artists.

What do you think of this one?
Would you wear it on your wintercoat
I have matched earrings as well
So today's game is : where do these pearls come from?

 

[CLICLASP]

Sunday's special : 2 pictures

Here is what Caitlin teaches us ; so we see pearls might come from so many places.
So where do these earrings are related from and how old are they ?

The discovery of America opened up new sources of both sea pearls and freshwater pearls, which fueled the wardrobe of Elizabeth I and trickled down to countless others.

New World pearls were a major source of money to Spain before gold. Baja California and other areas had excellent pearl fields. Later the major American rivers became a source for an abundance of freshwater pearls to the European trade. It was not for centuries that the very ancient history of pearls in America was known. Pre-Columbian cultures along the largest American rivers had major collections of pearls

In the Western Hemisphere, Native Americans also valued the freshwater pearls they had discovered and harvested from lakes and rivers. The story is told of a Native American princess, who presented Hernando de Soto with gifts of animal skins, cloth, copper and freshwater pearls. Colonizers from Spain, France and England all found native tribes using pearls as jewelry and for trade. Indeed, once the colonial powers discovered the sheer volume of pearls available in America's rivers, pearls became one of the chief products sent from the colonies back to Europe. Along with freshwater pearls from North American rivers, saltwater pearls were harvested from the Caribbean and along the coasts of Central and South America.

 

[Caitlin]

So, those are pearls from the Americas in jewelry made by Spaniards? That looks like a Spanish Caravel, but I don't get the figurehead.....

 

[La Contessa]

Okie doke -
Fabulous - as ALWAYS - anchors??? or carvels???? or gondolas

I'll be on the road but will try to make sure I get the results and more more more!

 

[CLICLASP]

Sunday's special : 2 pictures [/I]

Today national holiday : off

But you are very close..
see you later alligator

 

[CLICLASP]

So, those are pearls from the Americas in jewelry made by Spaniards? That looks like a Spanish Caravel.....

So you win !

The first one is a pendant : enameld gold and pearls (but don't know where from ) XVI century

The second one are earrings, spanish maybe as Caitlin said, enameled gold but XVII century

The legends do not say where the pearls come from, so with experts overhere, let's say you're right

 

[CLICLASP]

Another Caravel, in a different style
See the delicate work of art ; artists in that period wanted to show what they were able to do ...

Today's game is : how many technics can we count down there?

 

[jerin]

Chainwork, wirework, goldwork, enamelling, cameo - it looks lovely.

 

[Caitlin]

I can't come up with anything Inge didn't cover.

 

[CLICLASP]

You are right : enameled gold with pearls, XVI century brooch .
So today ' special : which monster do you prefer ?

 

[jerin]

For myself I would choose the Dragon!

 

[Satine De La Courcel]

The Dragon, I like Dragons

 

[J Marcus]

Another Caravel, in a different style
See the delicate work of art ; artists in that period wanted to show what they were able to do ...

Today's game is : how many technics can we count down there?

Cloisone', repouse', soldering, wirework, cameo/intaglio, and I think a little work with gravers.

Marc
http://www.flyrodjewelry.com/home.html

 

[J Marcus]

You are right : enameled gold with pearls, XVI century brooch .
So today ' special : which monster do you prefer ?

They are both fantastique so I think it comes down to personal taste. I would choose the dragon.

Marc
http://www.flyrodjewelry.com/home.html

 

[Nerida]

I'm up for the dragon, too!

 

[CLICLASP]

So the caravel pendant is as you said, nothing to add :
Cloisone', repouse', soldering, wirework, cameo/intaglio, and I think a little work with gravers.

Chainwork, wirework, goldwork, enamelling, cameo

As of the dragon...available at the nearest Le Louvre museum in Paris

The triton is from Italy XVI and dragon from Spain same century.

Renaissance was the time of a great development in jewelry.
It was in the mood to create "around" the baroque pearl using the crazy shapes and free the imagination and to put as many techniques in a jewel as possible to show the best of craftmanship

 

[CLICLASP]

Today's game is : classify in order of period, which one is more ancient?
(sorry bad pictures)

 

[Mervione]

Le Louvre you say... Me and my boyfriend are going to Paris in a couple of weeks, but I don?t think we?ll pay the fee to get in to Le Louvre because we both find art very, very (sorry) boring. Is there many pearls or gemstones like that there? If so then maybe it?s worth it anyway... I would definitely reconsider it.