Shhh.. It is a National Jewelry Day

Wow! How you would celebrate the National Jewelry Day? Any jewelry is within the Fashion Accessory category. So, accessorize! Earrings, necklace, bracelet or ring will bring beauty to someone' face and hands, and, of course, will highlight the early Spring outfit. What a wonderful way to celebrate by reading and learning! There is a new book on History of Fashion Accessories entitled "Bracelets Academy" written by Ida Tomshinsky. A book is an educational tool for jewelry type who wants to read and learn more about just one jewelry item: bracelet or bracelets - their history, facts, meanings, and more. It is available at www.bn.com, www.amazon.com, local bookstores, and at www.xlibris.com To order, please call 1-888-795-4274.

Here is a good question, which “parures” people enjoy to wear the most? The “parures,” refers to two-piece set consisting of a necklace and earrings. However, these sets could vary to include a brooch, rather than a necklace, or even all three pieces: earrings, necklace and a bracelet. By the mid-17th century, jewels had ceased in expectation that individual works of art in jewelry design is expressing some idea of fancy and had instead become modest personal ornaments that were beautiful, but lacking in any deeper significance.  Consequently, as the forms of jewels tended to become stereotyped, the matching set of jewels, or parures, became the dominant style in jewelry. In the 18th century the kings of France had parures of great splendor, most made of diamonds. These pieces including everyday items such as shoe buckles, coat decorations, insignia, and sword hilts. For state occasions, the 19th-century Napoleonic court imitated the parures of the ancient régime, with the addition of the jeweled coronet of classic form.

 

Here is a strong opinion: to constitute a true parure, a set of jewelry must have at least three matching items. A set with only earrings, plus a necklace, brooch, or bracelet is not considered a parure, but a demi-parure. Deriving from the Old French verb “to adorn,” a parure once referred to the entire wardrobe or suite of jewelry, often designed to be worn all at once. The concept derived from its origins in the flamboyance of Baroque and Rococo-era, France, when aristocrats, both men and women adorned themselves with elaborate ornamentation, sky-high wigs, and makeup. People say, it’s extremely rare to find parures from the 18th-century in good condition, while 19th-century sets are slightly more common.