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Medieval Jewelry

The jewelery a person wore during the Middle Ages usually represented their social status, as well as their gender, age, marital status, ethnicity, and their religious beliefs. Before the middle ages, jewelry was almost entirely restricted to royalty and members of the royal courts. Between 1200 and 1400, a middle class rose and began to acquire jewelry. Gold and silver was worn by the highest class, and the middle class wore jewelry made with cheaper metals. You could also determine the social status by the stones embedded in the jewelry. The wealthier people had precious stones inlaid into their jewelry, including sapphires, emeralds, and rubies. Knights were also known to wear amulets because they believed this charm would shield them during battle.

Jewelry during the Middle Ages was made from many different materials. Gold, silver, bronze, copper, and other metals were used to create the main parts of the jewelry. It was common to melt down golden coins to make more valuable golden jewelry. Bone and walrus ivory was also often used in brooches and rings. Glass, amber and precious stones were inserted into jewelry and also made into beads. During the Crusades, knights returning from the Holy Land brought back exotic gemstones to be used in the making of custom pieces.

There were a few methods to the construction of jewelry during the Middle Ages. Two main techniques were fabrication and casting. Fabrication includes mechanical manipulation and joining of sheets of metal by hammering, folding, and soldering. Inscriptions, patterns, and images could be engraved on the metal using a pointed tool to take out pieces of the metal. Sometimes designs were made on the sheets of metal by impressing them with a stamp or dye. In casting, metal is melted in a huge pot and then poured into a mold. after they harden, rough edges are smoothed and polished, then usually embellished with jewels. Often jewelry cast in bronze would be coated with silver or gold to give the impression of a more valuable piece.

Jewelry made by either casting or fabrication may be further adorned by surface decoration, including granulation and filigree. Granulation consists of soldering small spheres of gold or silver onto the jewelry surface. Granules were often used in large quantities and in combination with filigree. Filigree, also known as wire work, consists of pattens of plain or decorative beaded wires soldered to the surface of a piece of jewelry. Wire was made by two techniques called strip twisting and block twisting, in which a strip of metal is twisted, rolled, and hammered until it was circular like a straw. Both filigree and granulation created impressive glittering effects.

Some of the jewelry worn during the Medieval period was not only just for decoration. Cloak clasps and belt fasteners were both pieces of jewelry at the time and were made just the same as regular jewelry. Signet rings were also very important, worn mostly by medieval lords. These rings could be used as seals or for stamping documents to authenticate them. Also, having jewelry made from gold and other valuable metals was like having cash in hand. If necessary, it could be melted down to supply money for people at the time.

There have been many discoveries of buried jewelry found throughout Europe, estimated to have come from the Medieval times. The plague arose in Europe around the 14th century. Many people at the time fled the infected areas and left behind their valuables. They buried them in the ground, hoping to get them back one day, but most people died of infection, unable to retrieve their items. The unearthed treasures allow archeologists to make new discoveries about the jewelry and lifestyles of this time period.

Remains and Discoveries

Modern Interpretations

Kristen Stewart in Snow White and the Huntsman

Golden coins

Walrus Ivory

Precious stones

Materials

Jewelry in Social Statuses

Granulation

Decorative Techniques

Types of Jewelry Worn

  • Brooches
  • Buckles
  • Head Ornaments
  • Rings
  • Earrings
  • Bracelets
  • Necklaces

Filigree

Construction Techniques

Cloak Clasps and Belt Fasteners

Fabrication

Casting

Signet Rings

Uses of Jewelry

Jewelry in Medieval Art

Portrait of a Young Lady by Petrus Christus

The Accolade by Edmund Blair Leighton

Presentation in the Temple by Hans Memling

Portrait of a Lady by Lucas Cranach

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