Jewellery Is A Time Machine

To some people, jewellery is just apparel but for me, jewellery is so much more than decoration. It's the link that connects us from our ancestors to our descendants. 

The permanence of jewellery makes it a very valuable tool for communication.

Ancient artefacts help us to understand a little about what was important to people and how they lived. The jewellery we wear expresses our identity. The pieces that survive longer than we do, and are passed on to future generations, provide a lasting record of the things that were important to us.

What is your jewellery saying about you? 

The oldest known piece of jewellery is 150,000 years old. It is a collection of snail shell beads found in Morocco between 2014 and 2018.

Archaeologists believed the beads were either worn as a necklace or earrings or attached to clothing and anthropologist Steven L Kuhn believes that this discovery shows people living at that time wanted to communicate to bigger groups of people outside their own community. This kind of information is only available to us through the use of jewellery as a means of communication. 

Early jewellery was often used for protection and spiritual purposes.

The Ancient Egyptians used amulets not only to protect the living, but also the dead. They placed a green stone in the mouth of a Pharaoh to restore speech in the next world. Their jewellery communicated what they believed to be true and how they saw the world. 

We also know that the Ancient Egyptians, while a patriarchal society, gave women more rights than they had in the 19th Century.

Ancient Egyptian women had many rights, including the right to marry and divorce, own property, represent themselves in court, and own businesses. Women were also recognised for military achievements through the gifting of jewellery. 

“Golden Fly” pendants or “The Order of the Golden Fly” were given as military rewards.

Three large gold flies were found in the burial assemblage of Queen Ahhotep,  the founder of the 18th dynasty. She was valued as a great warrior who fought against the rebel Hyksos, and her gold flies are further evidence of her military prowess.

Later, in Roman times, jewellery was used as a way of showing social status.

Slaves were given bangles that were worn above the elbow and were often a stylised snake. One such bangle was uncovered in Moregine, to the south of Pompeii in November 2000. It is engraved inside "dom(i)nus ancillae suae" ("the master to his very own slave girl")

It's a very powerful object that speaks of a time when slavery was a not only socially acceptable but a relationship that wealthy people were proud of.

Interestingly, slavery was not something that was always permanent in Roman culture but a status that people were able to free themselves from. Not common, but it was possible. This might explain the presence of The Ivory Bangle Lady whose discovery led Peter Fryer to state "There were Africans in Britain before the English came." in his book, Staying Power; The History Of Black People In Britain

Later, fashion rather than the law dictated changes in styles of jewellery.

These alluring, feminine jewels speak of the period that followed the end of Oliver Cromwell's rule when theatres were reopened, women acted on stage for the first time, and Christmas was uncancelled. (Yes, Cromwell really did cancel Christmas for being a pagan festival!) 

It wasn't until the Victorian era and the Industrial Revolution that jewellery became once again, something for everyone.

Machinery that could stamp whole designs from thin sheets of gold and silver allowed manufacturers not only to cut down on labour costs but also to make jewellery that used less metal and which was then more affordable. The styles reflected the interest in archaeological discoveries and copies of ancient Greek and Roman designs were popular.

In the past, jewellers would have been employed by the person commissioning the item of jewellery. The rise of mass production meant that the end user was more disconnected from the process and pieces were not made specifically for one person or purpose. More people were able to wear jewellery but it lost a lot of its meaning.

The arts and crafts movement was a reaction against this mass production and designers made one of a kind pieces in small workshops.

Their designs were inspired by nature because people longed for time in the countryside, away from the pollution that the industrial revolution caused. 

The people who purchased these more expensive pieces of jewellery valued the craftmanship and the ideas of both supporting the artist and working towards a better quality of life. They may have appreciated the innovation of the Industrial Revolution for other aspects of their lives but could see that there were alternatives that brought additional benefits to both the artist and the world. It was the first time that people were able to make a choice between a cheaper mass produced piece and a hand crafted item. 

These pieces of jewellery from the past are like exploring a diary of how society has changed. 

Throughout the 20th Century, the mass produced option was the most successful.

Luxury brands have attempted to elevate their mass produced items to a higher price point, not by adding more value for the customer, or by making the world a better place, but by asking people to buy into their name. Billions are spent on advertising and prime locations for retail shops and the cost for this is passed on to the customer. 

Why are people paying a premium price for a mass produced product from a brand? Because by wearing a brand, they are communicating to other people what sort of person they are. 

Branding is all about setting out what your values are and looking to find people who might share those ideas. 

In our business, we look to record what people's values are.

We aren't asking people to be more like us. We're saying, tell us who you are. Tell us what's important to you and we will record it in jewellery. We are interested in creating pieces that have special meaning to a person. Sometimes, that's because our collections are relevant to a personal experience or because we have created a unique piece with a special story that was a defining moment in their life. 

The Hero pieces were designed to show that challenges and trauma can shape us into a beautiful, unique individuals to be proud of. Each person who buys a piece from the Hero collection has a personal story that prompted that choice. Not only does wearing a piece from this collection carry their story, but it shows to others that they value people without judgement because to come to this acceptance of yourself means that you are able to show this love to others too. 

The Promise collection is a commitment to give back to the earth. Jewellery is made from recycled silver to form empty seed pods, symbolising a seed has been removed and planted. For each piece from The Promise collection, a tree is planted in Ayrshire. 

The ENOUGH talisman collection is a live experiment that people engage with. This 21st Century talisman is not to ward off evil spirits but to bring about powerful transformation in people's lives through using the word ENOUGH to remind themselves that they are enough, just as they are. The word ENOUGH also has several other transformative powers that are explained in the ideas behind this collection. The reason why this collection is a live experiment is, as people wear it, they will form their own unique stories about how this idea helped them in their lives. 

We are also interested in recording the important changes that happen in our lifetime.

Lab grown diamonds have been the most exciting piece of technology to happen to the jewellery industry.

The ability to create diamonds without mining in a way that is extremely cost effective not only makes large diamonds accessible to more people but it gives people the option to choose an environmentally friendly alternative. Lab diamonds show how we can create more, using less energy and fewer resources. This is what the 21st Century will be about as populations grow and resources become more limited. 

In addition to our numerous collections that express different ideas about how we live in the 21st Century, we have incredible jewellery commissions of unique pieces that tell the story of one person. Who they loved.

What was important to them.

What helped them get through the difficult times.

How they celebrated the happy times.

Simple stories of people who wanted a permanent record of the connections they made here because that's who they are. That's what defines them. 

This is how we are documenting lives for future generations. This is our addition to the time machine. 

I hope in the future, people look at our designs and see that people living in the 21st Century cared about the planet, that they wanted a better life for future generations and that they had so much love for each other that they had to celebrate it.