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Queen
Victoria ruled England from
1837-190; this was an exciting time in history with many
artistic styles. Queen Victoria was a great lover of
jewelry. She designed pieces and gave them as gifts
throughout her reign. Cameos were a particular favorite of
hers and she wore them often. Other queens who loved the
cameo were Elizabeth I and Catherine the Great of
Russia. Cameos have been around since antiquity along with
intaglios. However it was the Grand Tour that began in the
17th Century that brought what we think of as
cameos to the forefront. A variety of shells were used to
carve these mementos of the tour and they became more
affordable. These mementoes were often brought home from
Torre Del Greco (outside of Naples, Italy) after visits to
the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
The book
chain necklace was also popular doing the Victorian
Era. This chain design was the choice for styles such as
cameos and lockets. The name is derived from this style of
chain where the links are shaped as books.
Participants will learn two ways to bezel a cameo (or
another thin cabochon) and then create a “frame” for the
cameo using twin beads or superduo beads. They will learn to
make the book chain using cylinder beads and size 15
charlottes along with embellishment of the “books”. |
