Final Project

Currency, wealth display and storage

Functional use (such as clasps, pins and buckles)

Symbolism (to show membership or status)

Protection (in the form of amulets and magical wards)

Artistic display

Amulets were a form of jewelry with sha-sha beads and a pectoral which was a portable shrine.

Sha was the Egyptian work for luck.

Beads were affordable for even the poorest worker.

The spectacular ornament took the form of an outer wig.

The wig of long flexible strings of gold beads was held in place by a gold head band.

The head band was worn later by the Greeks and has been reinvented as a modern fashion accessory.

In ancient Greece, beads shaped as natural forms like shells, flowers and beetles were manufactured on a large scale. 

By 300 BC the Greeks were making multi-colored jewellery and used emeralds, garnets, amethysts and pearls.

  Roman men and women wore rings with

an engraved gem on it that was used with wax to seal documents.

Roman and Greeks wore jewellery as a form of protection against the evil eye

Ireland was cut off from Europe and the World in the middle ages.

The Celtic style was uninfluenced by other cultures for several centuries.

The Torque is an example of the unique style. The neck ring was formed by twisted gold. Newbridge still uses this form in their designs.

•Costume jewelry has been available for over 300 years but its popularity rose in the 1930’s

•Costume jewelry is made out of cheaper materials, mass produced and fashionable rather than collectable

•Coco Chanel encouraged people to wear both faux and real jewelry.

Wire Wrapped jewelry consists of bundles of wires that are wrapped together to create settings and jewelry framework

Wire Sculpted jewelry is similar, wire is swirled and curled to create an ornate framework of bindings and intricate designs.

1. The last part of your final is to create either a pendant, bracelet, or a pair of earrings in a design that is challenging to your wire skills and unique in nature.

2. Prior to the final, you are asked to bring in a picture of a jewellery

piece that you want to do for your final project. It should be similar yet different from what we have been doing in class.

3. This exercise it meant for you to look to see how a project was done, and estimate the kind of wire, length of wire, and be able to finish your project in about an hour's time.

4. Some prior preparation might have occurred for some of you who are wanting to try new and difficult techniques. Some pictures of projects are provided as examples, and could be done at your skill level.

5. You must turn in your completed work with your example picture by the end of the final for your class. Your piece will be given back to you at the beginning of next semester after it is graded.