inspired by history

mary jane dodd

Headdress, Ur, 2600-2500 BC

do you ever look back into the history of jewelry making

to see what inspired the ancients?

we gain the perspective of seeing what we share in common

with other makers of adornment through the millenia,

like the need to honor the beauty of the natural world

Irish Lunula, Ireland, 2000-1500 BC

or a fascination with how we can work with metal.

Korea, 5-7th c.

here we find the use of cold connections to create interest and movement in earrings.

Roman, 3rd c AD

viking knit, hooks for closures, flowers and granulation,

Egyptian, 1300 BC

the use of stones - and ancient combinations like carnelian, turquoise and lapis.

i encourage you to research the history of adornment - not just ancient, but through to our current time. not just Western, but from all over the world. there is more than you could ever imagine to inspire you.

i have just recently begun to integrate granulation into my work - it is something i was drawn to in college when i studied etruscan art. by looking back, you are given the opportunity to see how you fit into the long line of people who have given their skills and imagination to the adornment of the human body.