lizjewel

Due to their lack of expensive materials and leisure time, the jewelry worn by the peasantry would have been extremely limited. Carved wood was probably the most common material, and the most common item would have been a small cross, probably worn on a ribbon, leather thong, or cord. (Crucifixes, meaning crosses with the Corpus, were a Catholic symbol and were not worn by the English, only by Catholic foreigners.)

Very simple beads of bone, clay, or wood are a possibility, as are beads made from rose petals.

Wedding bands, earrings, glass beads, and almost all metals were too expensive for most peasants.

Sailors always wore a gold hoop earring. The superstition was that that way, they would always have a piece of gold to pay their fair into the underworld, should they be drowned.

The jewelry of the middle classes was made of inexpensive metals such as pewter, and with semiprecious stones or imitation pearls. Glass beads were a very expensive new invention and not used by the middle class. As with clothing, the styles were very simplified versions of noble’s fashions.

Official Jewelry: Collars of Office

Men of the upper middle class were likely to hold governmental offices, either local or national, which were signified by the "collars of office". These were heavy chain and plaque necklaces with seals or insignia worked into the patterns. Mayors, aldermen, and other officials in England still wear them. Similar collars were worn by nobles and royalty to denote membership in Orders such as the Garter or Golden Fleece.

You can often find thrift store chain belts that make admirable chains of office. They are worn draped from shoulder to shoulder, not hanging down in front like a modern necklace. Solid gold is heavy enough to stay in place by itself, but imitations will probably need to be pinned in place.

Elizabethan noble jewelry could, and has, filled a number of books. The Elizabethan nobles wore jewelry on just about any visible surface. In addition to the necklaces, rings, bracelets, brooches, watches, and earrings we think of as jewelry today, they wore jeweled belts, buttons, points, bilaments., pomanders, fan handles, buckles, knives, sword hilts, mirrors, hat bands, hairpins, shoes, garters, and probably much more.

The predominant method of decoration in the period was enameling on gold, to the point that jewels were secondary. Silver was sometimes used, but most jewels was set in gold.

Invisible prong settings had not yet been invented. Most gems were set in bezels which enclosed and protected them.

Stylized shapes from nature were popular, but some forms were quite realistic. Tiny pins shaped like insects were often worn on ruffs. Animals, flowers, plants, and mythological or symbolic shapes were worn.

The stone most associated with the period is pearls. Pearls were worn in multiple ropes, alone or combined with other beads, metals and jewels in clusters, sewn on the edges of clothing, and used in jeweled settings. One of the loveliest jewelry fashions was to use baroque pearls to suggest part of the body of some mythical creature, set in enamel and precious stones as a brooch or pendant.

Faceted jewels were still fairly simple flat table cuts. Cabochon gems, polished in rounded shapes, were also used. Emeralds, rubies, and diamonds were popular. Because the art of diamond cutting was not very advanced, diamonds were given a black background to make them look better, which is why period portraits often show black stones. Semiprecious stones such as garnets, moonstones, opals, and some others were also used.

Glass beads were new, and were made in Venice, still a center for fine glasswork. They were very valuable and were often combined with precious metals. The Oxford portrait of Elizabeth shows her wearing ropes of black, brown, and gold Venetian beads combined with gold beads.

The word "necklace" was not yet in use. It was called a "carcanet". There were two main styles. One was the short carcanet which was usually worn around the base of the throat, inside the smock of an open collar or outside a closed collar of a high necked shift or a doublet. They were worn by men and women. Men’s were more likely to be heavy chain, rather than dainty filigree.

The longer, rope style necklace could be one strand, multiple strands, or a very long strand worn twisted around the neck several times. They were often worn draped up at the center or the side with a brooch.

Pendants, when worn by women, were usually worn low, so that they were framed by the stomacher area of the bodice. Men wore them at mid-chest. They were sometimes suspended from a wide, soft ribbon. These ribbons are also seen without pendants, twined around another necklace.

Wire hook and post style earrings had not been invented yet. Earrings are almost invariably in the form of a small (1/2") continuous hoop, with a pendant. Tear drop pearls were popular pendants. Men wore one earring, usually in the left ear.

Rings were worn , curiously, on every finger but the middle one. There was probably a superstition related to this, but I have been unable to determine what it was.

Rings were most often single stones, set in bezels. Wedding bands were worn by upper class women. Solitaire diamond engagement rings as we know them were not yet common, although the giving of rings to seal betrothals or other contacts was practiced.

Bracelets of the period were often multiple strands of pearls or other beads, usually in matched pairs. There is an existing pair of carved rock crystal bangles that belonged to The Queen.

Girdles worn by women were usually made of pearls or other beads, or chains, attached at intervals to jeweled or enameled plaques. They followed the pointed waistline of the bodice, usually having a triangular clasp at the front. They could, but did not always, have a long tongue hanging down the front, to which a fan, pomander, or prayer book could be attached. If you are going to be dancing, it is a good idea to make the tongue detachable so that it doesn't swing around during the dance.

Brooches were worn on hats, at the center front or shoulder of the bodice, and on sleeves. The ones in the shapes of mythical beasts, ships, etc., were often suspended by chains from another, smaller brooch, so that they swung and moved.

Some brooches were tiny miniature paintings of one’s beloved or, for the politically astute, the Queen. These can be made quite easily with art postcards, cut out and mounted in an oval jewelry setting.

Buttons could be actual fastenings such as those on sleeves or doublets, or simply sewn on and used as decorations.

Pomanders were metal boxes, usually round and opening with a hinge, which contained potpourri, an orange studded with cloves, or other fragrant materials. They were usually worn hung from a belt. In addition, buttons and aiglets were sometimes constructed as pierced hollows that could hold fragrant substances.

Note: Avoid jewelry which has official looking coats of arms worked into the pattern, as coats of arms were personal trademarks, not just decorative pictures anyone could wear.

If you are going to a Society For Creative Anachronism event, don’t wear medallions with wreaths of leaves or pelicans on them, or heavy chains of large links, as these are reserved for people who have earned specific honors. Also avoid wearing a girdle of mostly pearls, as white belts are also restricted.

Finally, piercings in Elizabethan England were limited to the earlobes only, one for men, two for women. For those who have piercings in non period places which need to be filled in order to keep them open, small transparent or fleash colored plugs can be purchased, or they can be made of flesh colored polymer clay. .

Thrift stores are wonderful for chain necklaces and belts that can be worn as is or taken apart to be remade. Occasionally one can find pins that look right. Often cheap looking metal pieces can be painted with hobby enamels to simulate the expensive enamels of the period.

Christmas decoration stores are also a great source. Look for pearl tree garlands to use as necklaces, filigree ornaments that make wonderful pomanders, and more.

Bead stores carry a wide range of beads, jewelry findings, pearls, and other useful materials. The owners are often helpful and interested. Take pictures in to show them and ask their advice on projects.

You may wish to purchase a book on beadwork. Look for one that covers stringing beads and wirework, the technique of attaching beads and findings together with wire pins.

To make jeweled settings to decorate clothing, you can glue flat backed jewels onto metal filigree pieces or set them in mountings. Depending on variables such as the glue and the materials, they may not survive washing or dry cleaning, and you may wish to attach pin backs to make them removable.

The drawback of this is that they are more easily lost. You can take consolation that it's period to lose jewelry: there is an entire BOOK (Lost from Her Majesty's Back, by Janet Arnold) about the jewelry Queen Elizabeth lost. Always make a few extras.

Another way to make jeweled settings is to make glue assembled patches. To make the jet and pearl clusters on the green gown shown in the gallery, I stretched sheer nylon organza in an embroidery hoop. Using Ailene’s Jewel-it glue, I glued the black plastic jewels to the fabric. Then I glued a circle of pearls around each stone. I found it easiest to do this with the pearls strung, rather than loose. After the glue dried, I sealed the back and the edges around the base of the pearl circle with Fray-check and let it dry, then cut it out as close to the pearls as possible. The resulting assemblages were then glued onto the dress trim. This glue is washable, but you will lose an occasional pearl. Make a few extra pieces and keep extra pearls, just in case.

		Upper Class and Noble’s Jewelry