Necklace
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A necklace is an article of jewellery that is worn around the neck. Necklaces may have been one of the earliest types of adornment worn by humans.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> They often serve ceremonial, religious, magical, or funerary purposes and are also used as symbols of wealth and status, given that they are commonly made of precious metals and stones.
The main component of a necklace is the band, chain, or cord that wraps around the neck. These are most often rendered in precious metals such as gold, silver, and platinum. Necklaces often have additional attachments suspended or inset into the necklace itself. These attachments typically include pendants, lockets, amulets, crosses, and precious and semiprecious materials such as diamond, pearls, rubies, emeralds, garnets, and sapphires. They are made with many different type of materials and are used for many things and sometimes classified as clothing.
Historical necklacesEdit
Prehistoric neckwareEdit
Prehistoric peoples often used natural materials such as feathers, bone, shells, and plant materials to create necklaces. Evidence of early Upper Paleolithic necklace making in southern Africa and east Africa dates back to 50,000 BP.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> By the Bronze Age metallic jewellery had replaced pre-metallic adornments.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Necklaces were first depicted in statuary and art of the Ancient Near East, and early necklaces made of precious metals with inset stones were created in Europe.<ref name="Bigelow 1979" />
Ancient civilizationsEdit
In Ancient Mesopotamia, cylinder seals were often strung and worn as jewellery.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In Ancient Babylon, necklaces were made of carnelian, lapis lazuli, agate, and gold, which was also made into gold chains.<ref name="Tait 1986">Template:Cite book</ref> Ancient Sumerians created necklaces and beads from gold, silver, lapis lazuli and carnelian.<ref name="Tait 1986" /> In Ancient Egypt, a number of different necklace types were worn. Upper-class Ancient Egyptians wore collars of organic or semi-precious and precious materials for religious, celebratory, and funerary purposes.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> These collars were often ornamented with semi-precious, glass, pottery, and hollow beads.<ref name="Bigelow 1979" /> Beads made from a variety of precious and semi-precious materials were also commonly strung together to create necklaces.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Gold that was fashioned into stylised plant, animal, and insect shapes were common as well. Amulets were also turned into necklaces.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In Ancient Crete necklaces were worn by all classes; peasants wore stones on flax thread while the wealthy wore beads of agate, pearl, carnelian, amethyst, and rock crystal.<ref name="Bigelow 1979" /> Pendants shaped into birds, animals, and humans were also worn, in addition to paste beads.<ref name="Bigelow 1979" />
In Ancient Greece, delicately made gold necklaces created with repoussé and plaited gold wires were worn.<ref name="Bigelow 1979" /> Most often these necklaces were ornamented with blue or green enameled rosettes, animal shapes, or vase-shaped pendants that were often detailed with fringes.<ref name="Bigelow 1979" /> It was also common to wear long gold chains with suspended cameos and small containers of perfume.<ref name="Bigelow 1979" /> New elements were introduced in the Hellenistic period; colored stones allowed for poly-chromatic pieces, and animal-head finials and spear-like or bud shaped pendants were hung from chains.<ref name="Tait 1986" /> Ancient Etruscans used granulation to create granulated gold beads which were strung with glass and faience beads to create colorful necklaces.<ref name="Tait 1986" /> In Ancient Rome necklaces were among the many types of jewellery worn by the Roman elite. Gold and silver necklaces were often ornamented with foreign and semi-precious objects such as amber, pearl, amethyst, sapphire, and diamond.<ref name="The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History 2017">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref> In addition, ropes of pearls, gold plates inset with enamel, and lustrous stones set in gold filigree were often worn.<ref name="Bigelow 1979">Template:Cite book</ref> Many large necklaces and the materials that adorned the necklaces were imported from the Near East.
Later in the empire, following barbarian invasions, colorful and gaudy jewellery became popular.<ref name="The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History 2017" /> In the Byzantine era, ropes of pearls and embossed gold chains were most often worn, but new techniques such as the use of niello allowed for necklaces with brighter, more predominant gemstones.<ref name="Bigelow 1979" /> The Early Byzantine Era also saw a shift to distinctly Christian jewellery which displayed the new Christian iconography.<ref name="Tait 1986" />
Timeline of non-classical European necklacesEdit
2000 BC – AD 400: Bronze amulets embossed with coral were common.<ref name="Bigelow 1979" /> In Celtic and Gallic Europe, the most popular necklace was the heavy metal torc, made most often out of bronze, but sometimes out of silver, gold, or glass or amber beads.<ref name="Tait 1986" />
AD 400 – 1300: Early European barbarian groups favored wide, intricate gold collars not unlike the torc.<ref name="Gregorietti 1969">Template:Cite book</ref> Germanic tribes often wore gold and silver pieces with complex detailing and inlaid with colored glass and semi-precious stones, especially garnet.<ref name="Tait 1986" /> Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian groups worked mainly in silver, due to a deficit of gold, and wrought patterns and animal forms into neck-rings. In the Gothic period necklaces were uncommon, though there are a few records of diamond, ruby, and pearl necklaces.<ref name="Gregorietti 1969" /> It was not until the adoption of lower necklines later in the Middle Ages that necklaces became common.
1400–1500: During the Renaissance it was fashionable for men to wear a number of chains, plaques, and pendants around their necks, and by the end of the 15th century the wealthiest men would wear great, shoulder covering collars inlaid with gems.<ref name="Bigelow 1979" /> Women typically wore simpler pieces, such as gold chains, or strung beads or pearls.<ref name="Gregorietti 1969" /> By the end of the period, larger, more heavily adorned pieces were common among the wealthy, particularly in Italy.<ref name="Gregorietti 1969" />
1500–1600: Long pearl ropes and chains with precious stones were commonly worn.<ref name="Bigelow 1979" /> In the latter half of the century, natural adornments, such as coral and pearl, were joined with enamel and metals to create intricate pendants.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Heavily jeweled, delicately framed cameo pendants were popular as well.<ref name="Gregorietti 1969" /> Chokers, last worn commonly in antiquity, also made a resurgence at this time.<ref name="Tait 1986" />
1600–1700: Few men in the Baroque period wore jewellery, and for women necklaces were unsophisticated, often a simple strand of pearls or delicately linked and embellished strands of metal with small stones.<ref name="Bigelow 1979" /><ref name="Tait 1986" /> Later in the century, after the invention of new diamond cutting techniques, priority was for the first time given to the jewels themselves, not their settings; it was common for jewels to be pinned to black velvet ribbons.<ref name="Gregorietti 1969" /> Miniatures also grew in popularity, and were often made into portrait pendants or lockets.<ref name="Tait 1986" />
1700–1800: Portrait pendants were still worn, and in extravagantly jeweled settings.<ref name="Tait 1986" /> The newly wealthy bourgeoisie delighted in jewellery, and the new imitation stones and imitation gold allowed them more access to the necklaces of the time.<ref name="Tait 1986" /> In the early part of the century, the dominant styles were a velvet ribbon with suspended pendants and the rivière necklace, a single row of large precious stones.<ref name="Tait 1986" /> By mid-century colorful, whimsical necklaces made of real and imitation gems were popular, and the end of the century saw a neo-Classical resurgence.<ref name="Tait 1986" /> In the Age of Enlightenment gowns often featured a neck ruffle which women accented with neck ribbons rather than traditional necklaces, but some women did wear chokers inlaid with rubies and diamonds.<ref name="Bigelow 1979" /> Seed pearls were introduced to the United States during the Federalist Era, leading to an increase in lacy pearl necklaces.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1800–1870: The low necklines of the court gowns fashionable at this time led to the use of large necklaces set with precious jewels.<ref name="Bigelow 1979" /> In Napoleon's court that ancient Greek style was fashionable, and women wore strands of pearls or gold chains with cameos and jewels.<ref name="Gregorietti 1969" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the Romantic period necklaces were extravagant: it was fashionable to wear a tight, gem-encrusted collar with matching jewel pendants attached and rosettes of gems with pearl borders.<ref name="Bigelow 1979" /> It was also common to wear jeweled brooches attached to neck ribbons.<ref name="Bigelow 1979" /> Some necklaces were made to be dismantled and reconfigured into a shorter necklace, brooches, and a bracelet.<ref name="Gregorietti 1969" /> Highly embellished Gothic style necklaces from England reflected the crenelations, vertical lines and high relief of the cathedrals.<ref name="Gregorietti 1969" /> Empress Eugénie popularised bare décolletage with multiple necklaces on the throat, shoulders, and bosom.<ref name="Bigelow 1979" /> There was also an interest in antiquity; mosaic jewellery and Roman and Greek necklaces were reproduced.<ref name="Tait 1986" /> Machine-made jewellery and electroplating allowed for an influx of inexpensive imitation necklaces.<ref name="Gregorietti 1969" />
1870–1910: The Edwardian era saw a resurgence of pearl necklaces, in addition to a dog-collar style of necklace made of gold or platinum with inset diamonds, emeralds, or rubies.<ref name="Bigelow 1979" /> The Art Nouveau movement inspired symbolic, abstract designs with natural and animal motifs.<ref name="Tait 1986" /> The materials used – glass, porcelain, bronze, ivory, mother of pearl, horn, and enamel – were not used for their value, but for their appearance.<ref name="Gregorietti 1969" /><ref name="Tait 1986" />
1910–1970: Chanel popularised costume jewellery, and ropes of glass beads were common. The Art Deco movement created chunky, geometric jewellery that combined multiple types of gems and steel.<ref name="Tait 1986" /> By the 1960s costume jewellery was widely worn, which resulted in seasonal, ever-changing styles of necklaces and other jewellery.<ref name="Bigelow 1979" /> Fine jewellery that was common in this period included wholly geometric or organically shaped silver necklaces, and precious gems set in platinum or gold necklaces inspired by the time of the French Empire.<ref name="Bigelow 1979" /> Love beads (a single strand of stone or glass beads) and pendant necklaces (most often made of leather cords or metal chains with metal pendants) became popular and were worn mostly by men.<ref name="Bigelow 1979" />
East AsiaEdit
ChinaEdit
ChaozhuEdit
In Qing dynasty China, a court necklace called Template:Transliteration (Template:Lang-zh), was worn by the Qing dynasty emperors and other members of the imperial family. The court necklace originated from a Buddhist rosary sent in 1643 by the Dalai Lama to the first emperor of the Qing dynasty. The necklace is composed of 108 small beads, with 4 large beads of contrasting stones to symbolize the 4 seasons, and was placed between groups of 27 beads. The necklace was also practical as it could be used for mathematical calculations in the absence of an abacus.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Necklace with longevity lock pendantEdit
In China, there is a custom of wearing a necklace with a longevity lock pendant. These lock charms were sometimes personally tied around the necks of children by Buddhist or Taoist priests.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The longevity lock is known as Template:Transliteration (Template:Lang-zh) and is an important form of amulet for children for thousand of years in Chinese culture. According to Chinese beliefs, the Template:Transliteration protect children from evil spirits and bad luck by locking its wearer's soul and life inside of the lock.<ref name="ChinaFetching.com 2022">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Template:Transliteration is often made with precious materials, such as gold, silver, and jade, and having auspicious words carved on it.<ref name="ChinaFetching.com 2022" /> This form of necklace continues to be worn in present-days China.
YingluoEdit
Template:Transliteration (Template:Lang-zh) was a ring-like neck ornament or fashionable necklace which was originally a Buddhist ornament depicted in Buddhist arts (e.g. sculptures and paintings) in China; the Template:Transliteration have roots in ancient India where its earlier prototype is the Indian ornament keyūra.<ref name="Zhuo 2019">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Zhou 2011">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The depictions of the keyūra was introduced in China along with Buddhism.<ref name="Zhuo 2019" /><ref name="Zhou 2011" /> The depictions of Template:Transliteration in China, such as those found in Dunhuang, evolved in shape and styles showing the cultural integration of foreign (non-Chinese) culture and the native Chinese culture due to the special characteristics of its geography.<ref name="Zhuo 2019" /> The Template:Transliteration eventually evolved from an ornament in Buddhist arts and eventually became an actual necklace by the Tang dynasty.<ref name="Zhuo 2019" /> The Template:Transliteration then became a classical form of necklace in Chinese society throughout centuries.<ref name="Zhuo 2019" /> It continues to be worn in present-day, especially as a common hanfu accessory being used by Hanfu enthusiasts since the Hanfu Movement.<ref name="163.com 2021">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It comes in variety of styles, shapes, and materials.<ref name="163.com 2021" />
OceaniaEdit
TasmaniaEdit
Shell necklacesEdit
Aboriginal Tasmanian women have been making shell necklaces from maireener (Phasianotrochus irisodontes) shells for at least 2,600 years, with some major collections in museums. The continuation of the practice is being threatened by reducing supply, and sixth-generation Palawa woman Lola Greeno is concerned that the practice will die out.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Necklace lengthsEdit
Necklaces are typically classified by length:
- Collar
- About 30~33 centimetres (12~13-inch) long and sits high on the neck.
- Choker
- Close-fitting, short, 35~41 centimetres (14~16 in) long.
- Princess necklace
- 45~50 centimetres (18~20 in) long.
- Matinee necklace
- 56~58 centimetres (22~23 in) long.
- Opera necklace
- 75~90 centimetres (30~35 in) long and sits at the breastbone.
- Rope necklace
- Any longer than opera length.
- Lariat necklace
- Very long variation on the rope, without a clasp, often worn draped multiple times around the neck.
GalleryEdit
- Late Western Zhou Jade Necklace.jpg
Necklace, Late Zhou dynasty (c.1046 to 256 BC), China
- Tiffany Opal Necklace.jpg
Tiffany Opal Necklace
- Minoan gold necklace archmus Heraklion.jpg
Minoan Gold Necklace (Archmus Heraklion)
- Napoleon-diamond-necklace.jpg
Napoleonic-era Diamond Necklace
- Post Emerald Necklace 01.jpg
Emerald Necklace
- Egyptian carnelian necklace.JPG
Carnelian, Limestone, and Quartz Egyptian necklace
- Ancient Byzantine gold necklace (Met).jpg
Gold Ancient Byzantine Necklace with Pendants
- KHM Wien VIIb 133 - Golden Vandal necklace, c. 300 AD.jpg
Gold and Glass Vandal necklace, c. AD 300
- Getty Villa - Necklace with relief pendant - 83.AM.225(1).jpg
Necklace with Relief Pendant
- KHM Wien VIIa 2 - Silver necklace, 600-650 AD.jpg
Silver necklace, c. AD 600-650
- Beads from a Necklace MET dp30573.jpg
Frankish Glass Bead Necklace
- Necklace MET ES1799.jpg
Gold and Platinum Necklace
- Necklace with Pendant Crosses MET dp30693.jpg
Byzantine Christian cross necklace
- Necklace MET 2014.294 d.jpg
German Metal Necklace
- Sea necklace.jpg
Necklace made from crochet lace, pearls, and sterling silver.
- Necklace MET DT5736.jpg
Gold and Platinum French Necklace
- Glass necklace BM WA 133334.jpg
Glass Necklace
- Rosaline Pearl Necklace.jpg
Rosaline Pearl Necklace
- Dirce Repossi White Gold and Diamonds Necklace.jpg
Dirce Repossi White Gold and Diamonds Necklace
- Roman - Necklace with Pendant Coins - Walters 571600.jpg
Gold Roman Necklace with Pendant Coins and Braided Chain- Walters 571600
- Uranium-glass-necklace.jpg
Uranium glass necklace, circa 1940/1950. Uranium glass glows bright green under ultraviolet light.
Similar itemsEdit
Pectoral ornaments are jewellery items that are also used similar to a necklace, such as reimiro, and ancient Egyptian pectorals.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Non-jewellery items, for example lanyards, for holding badges and cards, are similar to a necklace and are worn on a neck.
See alsoEdit
- Cross necklace
- Choker
- Collar
- Figaro chain
- Jewellery chain
- Livery collar
- Locket
- Love beads
- Pendant
- Torc
- Usekh collar
Further readingEdit
- Jewelry 7,000 Years ed. Hugh Tait. Template:ISBN.
- Jewelry Through the Ages by Guido Gregorietti. Template:ISBN.
- 20,000 Years of Fashion: The History of Costume and Personal Adornment by Francois Boucher. Template:ISBN.
ReferencesEdit
Template:Jewellery Template:Clothing Template:Authority control