Hill tribe silver jewelry from
northern Thailand by Susi at Jewelry Crossings
Hill tribe silver jewelry from northern
Thailand, though hundreds of years old in its distinct design, works
well accessorizing even the most up-to-date fashion trend. Hill
tribe bracelets, for instance, can feel classic or contemporary or
ethnic, depending upon their individual motif and design. Over
100 years ago, the Hilltribe peoples
migrated south from China into what are now Burma, Laos, Vietnam,
and Thailand.
The main profession of all these tribes is
farming, and all of them tend to migrate whenever they feel that the
soil at their present location is becoming depleted. Approximately
twenty distinct tribes of semi-nomadic peoples, collectively called
hill tribes, live in the mountains along the Burmese and Laotian
borders of northern Thailand. The largest and most prominent hill
tribes are the H'mong, Akha, Lisu, Lahu, Meo, and Karen. Culturally
the tribes are of interest because their relative isolation has
enabled them to retain almost unchanged customs and traditions that
go back centuries. Each tribe is district, with its own culture,
religion, language, art, and dress. With Thailand undergoing rapid
modern development, it is difficult yet to say whether these tribes
will continue in there traditional ways of life, or whether they
will eventually be absorbed into the surrounding and ever
more-encroaching Thai society. A rich part of their cultural
tradition is the making and wearing of silver jewelry. What once was
a artistic skill honed in the tiny tribal villages in the mountains
of northern Thailand now can be found produced in the factories of
Thailand's second largest city, Chang Mai. On Wualai Street in Chang
Mai all manners of silver jewelry and silver objects are crafted.
Intricate patterns of hill tribe-inspired designs--bracelets,
earrings, necklaces and rings--are hammered out by Thai
silversmiths. Aside from the work of the Chang Mai city artisans, a
buyer of silver in northern Thailand can still purchase the less
refined silverwork of the hill tribes. Surprisingly enough, most
hill tribes even today prefer silver to paper for money; the women
usually wear their wealth in heavy chunky necklaces and earrings.
Hill tribe jewelry purchased in northern Thailand is usually sold by
the actual gram weight multiplied by the gram price of the day. On
the web site, www.jewelrycrossings.com, several beautiful designs of
hill tribe bangles and bracelets are available in sterling silver.
Intricate designs of woven or braided sterling as well as delicate
sterling silver mesh work capture the spirit and essence of this
ancient craft. You can also find authentic Thai baht chain necklaces
made in polished sterling silver. The baht chains are available in
four popular lengths: 16", 18", 24" and 30". The classic baht chain
necklace is comprised of small rectangular links weighing a
particular "baht" weight. - Susi, Silver Jewelry
Crossings.
About the Author
For twenty-two years I have been involved in the gemstone and
jewelry trade-first as owner of an incorporated company in
Singapore, then Thailand, and for the last ten years in Northern
California. Throughout my career my reward has come from the
knowledge that I have gone the extra steps to ensure my customers'
absolute satisfaction.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Silver Jewellery - A Brief History
By Jeff Hall
Antiquity
Pre-Mycenaean
Silver was used in ancient Italy and Greece for personal ornaments,
vessels,jewellery,arrows, weapons and coinage. It was inlaid and
plated. It was also mixed with Gold to produce white gold as well as
being mixed with baser metals.
Examples of ancient jewelry were found in Queen Pu-abi's tomb at Ur
in Sumeria(now called Tall al-Muqayyar), dating from 3000 BC. In the
crypt the queen's body was covered with jewellery made from gold,
silver, lapis lazuli, carnelian,agate and chalcedony beads.
Aegean lands were rich in precious metals. The considerable deposits
of treasure found in the earliest prehistoric strata on the site of
Troy are not likely to be later than 2000 BC. The largest of them,
called Priam's Treasure, was a large silver cup containing gold
ornaments consisting of elaborate diadems or pectorals, six
bracelets, 60 earrings or hair rings, and nearly 9,000 beads. Silver
was widely used in the Greek islands however only a few simple
vessels, rings, pins, and headbands survive.
Mycenaean and Minoan.
Three silver dagger blades were found in a communal tomb at
Kumasa.Silver seals and ornaments of the same age were also found in
these regions. A silver cup found in Gournia dates to circa 2000.
Some vases and jugsfrom Mycenae are also made of silver. Some of the
Mycenaean blades are bronze inlaid with
gold, , silver, niello and electrum.
Bronze to the Iron Age
Engraved and embossed silver bowls made by Phoenicians have been
found in Greece. Most of them have elaborate pictorial designs of
Egyptian or Assyrian character and therefore probably foreign to
Greece.
However some simpler types, decorated with rows of animals and
flowers,can hardly be distinguished from the first Hellenic
products. A silver bowl from around the 5th century BC can be found
inthe Metropolitan Museum of Art showing a fine flower style.
Silver vases and toilet articles have been found beside the more
common bronze in Etruscan tombs. For example, a chased powder box of
the 4th century BC in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Roman
During the 4th century BC, the trend of ornamenting silver vessels
with relief was revived. This type of work, elaborated in the
Hellenistic Age and particularly at Antioch and Alexandria, remained
the common method of decoration for silver articles until the end of
the Roman Empire.
A lot of Roman silverware was buried during the violent last
centuries of the ancient world. The largest, the Boscoreale treasure
(mostly in the Louvre), was accidentally saved by the same volcanic
eruption that destroyed Herculaneum and killed Pliny in AD 79. A
slightly smaller hoard found at Hildesheim (now in Berlin) also
belongs to the early empire. The acquisition and appreciation of
silver plate was a sort of cult in Rome. Technical names for various
kinds of reliefs were in common use (emblemata, sigilla, crustae.)
Weights were recorded and compared and frequently exaggerated. Large
quantities of bullion came to Rome from their battle victories in
Greece and Asia during the 2nd century BC.
Early Christian and Byzantine
The earliest Christian silverwork closely resembles the pagan work
of the period and uses of the techniques of embossing and chasing.
The design is sometimesclassical, decorated with pagan scenes.
Most of the silver has been found in Syria, Egypt, Cyprus, Asia
Minor,and Russia. It is mostly chalices, censers, candlesticks, and
bowls and dishes. The techniques of chasing and embossing were often
employed, but abstract patterns and Christian symbols inlaid in
niello were also used. The 6th and 7th centuries saw the appearance
of imperial control stamps,- early forerunners of hallmarks.
Middle Ages
Carolingian and Ottonian
In the last quarter of the 8th century the design focused on the
human figure and the use of niello (chip-carving technique.)
Examples are the Tassilo Chalice (umlnster Abbey, Austria) and the
Lindau Gospels book cover (Pierpont Morgan Library, New York City).
Most influential silver design was commissioned by Royalty or the
church.Liturgical plate and reliquaries, altar crosses, and the like
underwent no fundamental change; Ottonian work of the later 10th and
11th centuries can be distinguished from that of the 9th only in the
development of style. For example, the larger, more massive figures,
with their strict pattern of folds, on the golden altar (c. 1023)
given by Henry II to Basel Minster (Musée de Cluny, Paris), are
markedly different from the nervous, elongated figures of the
Carolingian period.
Romanesque
In the 12th century the church was the chief patron of the arts, and
the work was carried out in the larger monasteries. Under the
direction of such great churchmen as Henry, bishop of Winchester,
and Abbot Suger of Saint-Denis, near Paris, a new emphasis was given
to subject matter and symbolism.
Gold and silver continued to be used as rich settings for enamels as
the framework of portable altars, or small devotional diptychs or
triptychs and shrines such as the shrine of St. Heribert at Deutz
(c. 1160) and Nicholas of Verdun's Shrine of the Three Kings at
Cologne (c. 1200).
The growing naturalism of the 13th century is notable in the work of
Nicholas' follower Hugo d'Oignies, whose reliquary for the rib of
St. Peter at Namur(1228) foreshadows the partly crystal reliquaries
in which the freestanding relic is exposed to the view of the
faithful; it is decorated with Hugo's particularly fine filigree and
enriched by naturalistic cutout leaves and little cast animals and
birds.
The increasing wealth of the royal courts, of the aristocracy, and,
later, of the merchants led to the establishment of secular
workshops in the great cities and the foundation of confraternities,
or guilds, of silversmiths, the first being that of Paris in 1202.
The late Gothic saw an increased output of secular silver because of
the rise of the middle classes. The English mazers (wooden drinking
bowls with silver mounts) and the silver spoons with a large variety
of finials are examples of this more modest plate. Numerous large
reliquaries and altar plate of all kinds were still produced. At the
end of the Middle Ages the style of these pieces and of secular
plate developed more distinctive nationalcharacteristics, strongly
influenced by architectural style: in England,by the geometric
patterns of the Perpendicular; in Germany, by heavy and bizarre
themes of almost Baroque exuberance; and in France, by the fragile
elegance of the Flamboyant.
The purity standards of silver became rigorously controlled, and “
hallmarking” was enforced; the marking of silver in England,
especially, was carefully observed.
In the Far East the skills of thesilversmith were unsurpassed as is
evident from this solid silver bowl (the photographs are 4x
magnification of original item) made circa 1398 in Kampochea
(Cambodia) detailing the wars with neighbouring Thai rulers.
Islam
The use of gold and silver in Islam lands was limited because it was
forbidden by the Koran. Although the prohibition was often ignored,
the great value of such objects led to their early destruction and
melting down. Islamic jewelry of the early period is therefore
extremely rare, represented only by a few items, such as buckles and
bracelets of the Mongol periods and such pieces as the Gerona silver
chest in Spain and the Berlin silver tankard of the 13th century,
with embossed reliefs of animal friezes.
Renaissance to modern
16th century
Using Silver from the New Americas, Spanish silversmiths, platería,
gave their name to the heavily ornamented style of the period,
Plateresque. England was also abundant in 16th-century secular
silver, but church plate was mostly destroyed during the
Reformation.
Baroque
Huguenot silversmiths who left France after the revocation of the
Edict of Nantes in 1685 brought new standards of taste and
craftsmanship wherever they settled—particularly in England, where
the foremost names of the late 17th and earlier 18th centuries were
of French origin: Pierre Harache, Pierre Platel, David Willaume,
Simon Pantin, Paul de Lamerie, Paul Crespin, to mention but a
few.Silver furniture, a feature of the state rooms at Versailles,
became fashionable among Royalty and noblemen. It was constructed of
silver plates attached to a wooden frame. Each suite contained a
dressing table, a looking glasss and a pair of candlestands. In
France such furniture did not survive the Revolution but much
remains in England, Denmark, Germany, and Russia.
In the far east, Chinese silversmiths produced some of the most
elegant and beautifully crafted silver jewellery some of which was
exported to the Royalty of Russia.
18th century
Early 18th-century English work combined functional simplicity with
grace of form, while the work of Dutch and German goldsmiths is in a
similar style but of less pleasing proportions. The success of the
English work, however, is due in part to the destruction of all but
a fraction of French silver of the same period. English silver in
the 18th-century classical style of Robert and James Adam is of
unequal merit owing to the use of industrial methods by some large
producers.
Colonial America
Silversmithing in the New World in the colonial period is chiefly
from England. In North America it was first brought to New England
by English craftsmen in the 17th century. The most important centres
were Boston, Newport, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and
Annapolis. Outstanding collections include the Mabel Brady Garvan
collection at Yale University and those in the Boston Museum of Fine
Arts, the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and in
the Philadelphia Museum of Art. North American colonial silver is
distinguished for its simplicity and graceful forms, copied or
adapted from English silver of the period. Meanwhile the colonial
silver of Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Chile, and Bolivia, while
mostly Spanish in concept, shows a blending of Iberian designs and
forms,with indigenous influences that trace back to pre-Hispanic
times. Most of these relics survive in churches as sacramental
vessels.
19th century
Napoleon's empire brought French fashions back into prominence and
the was widely followed on the Continent. England created their own
more robust version of the Empire style.A recognizable Victorian
style evolved in particular high-quality buttons, coins, sterling
silver, and Sheffield plate, establishing new high standards of
design and of factory management and welfare services. This was
followed by the craft revival associated with William Morris and the
distinctive Art Nouveau style.
Modern
Factories evolved using modern equipment—for example,laser stone
cutting,stamping, pressing,spinning, casting, and mechanical
polishing—account. These factories supply nearly all high street
jewellery retailers. The evolution of style is now dictated by the
buying public. Little has changed in the design of gold engagement
or wedding rings however fashion demands have created an enviroment
were the most lively designs are often those for costume and silver
jewelry.
In Paris, designs by René Lalique inspired Art Nouveau, whilst in
Moscow, Peter Carl Fabergé set a superb standard of craftsmanship
for small ornaments. In Denmark, Georg Jensen, with Johan Rohde and
others achieved not only an individual Danish style but built up
several factories with retail outlets across the world, thus proving
that good modern design in silver jewellery need not be confined to
artists' studios.
Jeff Hall is the c.e.o. of the silverstall which houses a large
collection of silver jewellery, a selection of which can be found at
http://www.silverstall.com.
A summary what you find
on this page:
sterling silver jewelry, wholesale sterling silver
jewelry, en jewelry language silver sterling, 925
sterling silver jewelry, man sterling silver
jewelry, sterling silver jewelry with dichroic
glass, cheap sterling silver jewelry, handmade
sterling silver jewelry, handcrafted sterling silver
jewelry, sterling silver jewelry finding, sterling
silver gem stone jewelry, vintage sterling silver
jewelry, fine jewelry sterling silver, sterling
silver jewelry manufacturer, sterling silver jewelry
supply, discount sterling silver, jewelry free
jewelry silver sterling, sterling silver charm
jewelry, sterling silver engravable jewelry, quality
sterling silver jewelry, gem jewelry silver sterling
stone wholesale, unique sterling silver jewelry,
bali sterling silver jewelry, sterling silver
jewelry wholesaler, sterling silver and cz jewelry,
sterling silver bead and jewelry, sterling silver
beaded jewelry, sterling silver cubic zirconia
jewelry, sterling silver turquoise jewelry, how to
clean sterling silver jewelry, cleaning sterling
silver jewelry, sterling silver jewelry wire,
sterling silver fashion jewelry, wholesale sterling
silver jewelry finding, wholesale sterling silver
jewelry Thailand, jewelry silver sterling wholesale
wholesale, sterling silver jewelry gift, sterling
silver jewelry designer, sterling silver jewelry
cleaner, sterling silver hip hop jewelry, sterling
silver for jewelry making, sterling silver jewelry
home party, custom designed jewelry silver sterling,
sterling silver religious jewelry, sterling silver
body jewelry,
child jewelry silver sterling, sterling silver
jewelry Thailand, baby sterling silver jewelry,
sterling silver jewelry set, sterling silver costume
jewelry, sterling silver heart jewelry, sterling
silver jewelry box, wholesale sterling silver
jewelry supply, 925 sterling silver wholesale
jewelry, antique sterling silver jewelry, jewelry
making silver sterling supply, sterling silver
wholesale fashion jewelry, jewelry jewelry product
silver sterling watch, personalized sterling silver
jewelry, Indian sterling silver jewelry, sterling
silver jewelry for sale, discounted sterling silver
jewelry, sterling silver jewelry party, sterling
silver jewelry with shells and natural stones,
custom sterling silver jewelry, jewelry silver
sterling women's, jewelry ring silver sterling,
silpada sterling silver jewelry, bridal jewelry
sterling silver, India jewelry silver sterling,
sterling silver and diamond jewelry, jewelry price
silver sterling wholesale, engraving jewelry silver
sterling, arm jewelry silver sterling upper,
sterling silver jewelry manufacturer wholesale,
sterling silver jewelry store, sterling silver
jewelry watch, designer jewelry knockoff silver
sterling, sterling silver elephant jewelry, sterling
silver jewelry wholesale only, sterling silver
jewelry manufacturer thailand, sterling silver
jewelry club, sterling silver jewelry wholesale
distributor new age sterling silver jewelry, jewelry
mail silver sterling, sterling silver amethyst
jewelry, sterling silver pearl jewelry, bridesmaid
sterling silver jewelry.
|
Home
Contacts
STERLING SILVER JEWELRY
Copyright © emarketthailand.com |
|
|
|
|
