The Romantic Meaning Of Jewels

“Well,” you might ask, “isn’t jewelry romantic by it’s very character?” To some degree this is true, although we wear jewels for every number of reasons that are not adoring… to look classy, to appear professional, to astonish our associates and neighbors. Hence what about the romance of jewelry? In this case I’m talking about romance in a broader sense than only relations. “A condition or feeling of mystery, excitement, and isolation from daily life” Romantic jewelry is that jewelry that effects you feel special, special, like a princess or a prince. That jewels that takes you out of your normal buzz drum life each time you put it on. I adore silver and platinum and there are other metals (titanium comes to mind) that create remarkable jewels, but there is nothing resembling the romance of gold. To wear gold is to wear the jewelry of kings and queens. In ancient Egypt only the pharaohs and those specially favored by the pharaohs were allowed to wear gold. Further jewels that move feelings of romance are pearls, emeralds and rubies… and, certainly, for a lot of people, diamonds. Someway however diamonds do not seem to have the similar tenderness and romance as the other stones. Much of the romance that has been generated around diamonds is do to de Beers in the early part of the 20th century instituting a skillful and very valuable promotion campaign… so I’ll leave diamonds for another day. Then again pearls… Pearls feel magnificent against your skin. To look intensely into a excellent pearl is to look into eternity. Pearls have been esteemed in all time periods and all cultures. Historically baroque pearls (big irregularly shaped pearls) were used to make astonishing and excellent jewelry by embellishing them with gold an gems. Commonly these took the shape of Neptune or other greek gods, sirens, good-looking females and animals. The Canning Jewel in the Victoria and Albert museum is a popular and decorative use of a baroque as the base for a fine-looking merman. Black pearls, especially Tahitian black pearls have turned out to be very popular in latest years. They come in a range of colors from fantastic purples and greens, through pinks to chic browns. All are lovely and the choice of colors gives them a big deal of flexibility in picking just the right pearl for your outfit and ambiance. The most good-looking black pearl necklace I’ve seen was from Morrison’s a tiny manufacturing jeweler in Berkeley. The pearls were set in a rainbow strung together so that every color melted into the one next to it — spectacular. (Incidentally, if you wear pearls, do wear them against your skin, it’s good for them, but be certain that you do not wear any fragrance, odor or lotion, in any case not where it may contact your pearls.) Emeralds and rubies are traditionally the emperor and empress of gems. Possibly it is their alive colors that stirred our ancestors. Surely that bright blood red and cool serpent green are hard to ignore. Even now emeralds and rubies of the same size and quality are more costly than equal diamonds. In Victorian times colored gemstones were used to write out love messages. For instance a piece of jewelry may have these gems in sequence: LOVE: Lapis, Opal, Vermeil and Emerald. REGARD: Ruby, Emerald, Garnet, Amethyst, Ruby and Diamond. The shape of jewels also can harbor a romantic message. Hearts and clasped hands, hands holding a heart (Claddagh) and cupids are self explanatory, but some designs are a bit more delicate. For lots of cultures, plus the Romans and the Victorians, snakes were a representation of enduring love. Prince Albert gave Queen Victoria a snake engagement ring — the beginning of a long and celebrated marriage. Fascinatingly lizards and frogs were (and perhaps still are) also symbols of married happiness. Maybe this explains the long-lasting reputation of jewelry depicting this wiggly creatures. Jewels in the form of flowers might as well be emblematic. To recite Ophelia “There is rosemary, that is for memory; pray, love, keep in mind: and there is pansies. Other flowers regularly establish in jewelry are daisies for purity, roses for the growth and continuation of love and bouquets expressing the commingling and compatibility of marriage. When you are taking into account the perfect present from that next anniversary, rather than the regular “anniversary ring” how about a more romantic bouquet pendant? So the next time you are rooting through your jewel container before that special rendezvous or looking for the perfect gift for the great lover, consider the emblematic romance of jewels and gems.