## Quick Facts - The ancient people of Denmark used to [sacrifice jewelry and other items to the gods](https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2022/01/ancient-golden-neck-ring-of-almost.html) by burying them in wetlands and bogs. - Eyeglasses made of [emeralds were thought to soothe strained eyes](https://dearest.substack.com/p/emerald-eyeglasses-elvira-and-other), which may have led to Shah Jahan (builder of the Taj Mahal) to commission a pair. - A [fibula is a brooch](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/245923) that functions as a giant safety pin; unlike other brooches it has a practical purpose, like securing a cloak. - Folks in the Danish Stone Age may have worn protective [amber amulets](https://twitter.com/AlisonFisk/status/1459142468688138242) with the power to make the wearer's hair stand on end. %% [[amber statuettes seem magical]] %% - Chinese noblewomen [stored their most valuable jewelry in elaborate canopied beds](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r189so/looking_for_info_on_the_historical_practice_of/). ## Ancient Artifice One of my favorite examples of ancient technology being impenetrable to modern experts is the 1814 case of Fortunato Pio Castellani, a skilled jeweler, being totally unable to figure out [the science behind granulation](https://www.langantiques.com/university/granulation-and-its-techniques/) — a goldsmithing technique involving soldering. It was mastered by Etruscans in the 8th century BCE. %% [[Darwin’s Microscope, Josephine’s Diadem and a Lalique Collar by Monica McLaughlin]] %% ## Atomic Jewelry Ears of wheat, widely considered a symbol of fertility and prosperity (& successful harvests), are popular motifs for jewelry because each ear can be crafted individually and then put into different configurations. For example, the [19th century Ears of Wheat tiara](https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-6339131?ldp_breadcrumb=back&intObjectID=6339131&from=salessummary&lid=1) worn by Pauline Bonaparte was crafted from 18 individual "ears" of diamonds, silver and gold. They could also be worn as brooches, separately or bundled. ## Letters for Names Monogram jewelry evolved from rulers in antiquity who had coins struck with their initials. It was common on antiquity and continued by Byzantine rulers well into the Middle Ages — [Henry VIII and his children were big fans](https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/old-master-sculpture-early-jewels/english-circa-1600-1610-monogram-pendant-with-the). Some people even wore necklaces, brooches, and rings with "sacred monogram" _I H S_ (which originates from the Greek rendering of Jesus' name) as a result of this tradition. ## Mammoth Bones The oldest known ornate jewelry made by humans in Eurasia (as opposed to unadorned decorations made by aliens in Africa, I guess?) is [a carved mammoth ivory pendant over 42,000 years old](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2299071-mammoth-ivory-pendant-is-oldest-decorated-jewellery-found-in-eurasia/). As a child of the Polish diaspora, it amuses me that this pendant is from Poland, and predates the ones found in Germany & France by thousands of years. It's one more piece of evidence that Poland was an important center of culture in the Neolithic era.