The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-03-21
PERSONAL JEWELRY.
Ancient and Modern History of the
 Use of Necklaces and Bracelets

London Telegraph.
 Mir. Cyril Davenport is an authority on jewelry, ancient and modern. and women are turning with interest to a series of lectures which he Is delivering, under the auspices of the Society of Arts, on
 Personal Jewelry from Prehistoric Times" Necklaces are probably the ear Hest form of decoration Primitive man, dwelling by preference near the sea shore, may easily have found material for neck laces ready to his hand, Shells. such as lmpets are continually found with their crests worn of. at once becoming ring like beads. This gave the idea of perc- ing soft objects, which were strung upon
 animal sinew or vegetable fibre. The transition Is natural from simple, easily pierced berries, seeus, or eggs to harder nuts teeth. or claws, to the ambitious
 shaping and working of materials and stones, to the adoption of amber. bone. ivory, wood and. finally, glass and pre- cious stones, and, as knowledge of metal
 working grew. to gold. silver, copper and
 bronze. Torques. twiSted, as their name implies were a form of necklace, a very
 important and beautiful one, in favor with both Asiatic and North European
 races. There was such endless variety,
 the lecturer confessed. in the arrange ment of necklaces, from the simple In-
 dian row of pearls and smeralds to the looped and tasseled Queens Necklace" that any attempt at classification would
 be futile. Egyptian necklaces of beads and glass and glazeS and molded clay
 were distinguished by most skilfully-
 worked patterns. The Egyptians also made beautiful plaited chains of gold in
 the pattern known as Trchinopoly, but it Is probable that the Greek and Etrus- can gold work of the third and eighth centuries B. C. is the most beautiful ever made The use of jewels in such orna- ments is sparing. but the gold work is re-
 markable for the beauty of its design and the consummate skill of the work manship and soldering.
 SOn1athinC p.TupSOmp attaches tha
 earlier forms of bracelets Few savage
 form or another, these primitive orna- ments. In many cases they were in real ity weapons of war. or were worn as tal-
 ismans. In New Guinea and the neigh boring islands they were composed of
 human jawbones. and credited with pro- tective influences. Those made of teeth or claws were supposed to bring luck in the chase. Some savages of the Congo carry on their arms heavy iron brace lets. which they use as projectiles, and thus MT. Davenport traces the wearing of bands around the wrists from the rough primitive form to the magnificent workmanship of the Greeks. Romans. | Egyptians, and of the present day. Metal | appears to have been used from the first: | the setting of precious stones in metal | work apparently belonging to the Ro- mans as does also the engraving of | gems. The diadem or circlet for the head
 was always accorded wider significance | than the wearing of bracelets or neck l laces. From Very early times 1t has been 1 largely reserved as a mark of dignity ] and today We have the modern form with | intensified significance in the crowns of 1 sovereignty. This latter use however. | in the form 0f q soft fillet or band by | Alexander tho Great, To the increased in- | terest of his lecture. MT Davenport de- scrioed ancient diadsms discovered at