Gallery 08 - Adorning

Scottish Jewellery

Scottish-style jewellery was highly fashionable during the reign of Queen Victoria. The growth of tourism, a new interest in Scotland's Celtic past and a wave of nostalgia contributed to this trend.

Distinctive pebble jewellery set with local stones such as agates and jaspers was typically sold as highland souvenirs. The yellow quartz gemstone known as Cairngorm was cut into striking shapes to reflect light. However, many Cairngorm stones were imported due to the scarcity of local stone. In Aberdeen firms such as A & J Smith also used local granites cut into crisp geometric shapes.

Clan badges, usually made of silver in a circular belt buckle form with a motto, were worn by men and women, many of whom had no actual connection or allegiance to the clans. As fashionable items the badges were commonly used to fasten ladies’ tartan sashes to the shoulders of their ball-gowns.

Naturalistic jewellery with clearly recognisable flower, fruit, bird and animal motifs has been popular since the 1820s. Delicate sprigs of flowers often incorporated secret meanings: the forget-me-not signified true love, ivy stood for friendship and the thistle for Scotland.

Modern jewellers are also inspired by animals and insects. Some are macabre like Colleen Thompson’s Spider Necklace, others more joyful such as Abbott & Ellwood’s Leaping Cat brooch.

Imaginary creatures can be formed into unusual pieces of jewellery. Along with flowers, James Cromar Watt also incorporated dragons and phoenixes into his enamelled designs.

Any object which adorns the body can be classed as an item of jewellery – watches, rings, necklaces, earrings, bangles and bracelets. Not all jewellery is designed to be seen. Piercings can be hidden, such as tongue studs, or visible like nose-rings.

Ornaments for clothes, such as buckles and brooches, often combine practical and decorative purposes. Other pieces are worn simply for fun and fashion.

Like fashionable clothes, jewellery styles come and go. Costume jewellery, readily available on the high street and produced by industrial process, can keep pace with the latest trends. Pieces made from expensive materials usually change more slowly due to the time and financial investment made by the jeweller.

In the early 1900s jewellers experimented with combining coloured enamels (making a glossy glass surface) and with curved, flowing shapes to create pieces which were sold in the new department stores.

Liberty of London commissioned self-employed jewellers to design ranges which were made in large quantities. Other designers looked back to pre-industrial levels of craftsmanship, creating costly one-off pieces.

By the 1960s a new alternative jewellery scene was emerging. Independent designer-jewellers, often trained at art schools, created bespoke and experimental pieces.

Many continued working with metals, but different materials such as Perspex and paper became increasingly popular. They were influenced by the Scandinavian pared-back style, seen in Millie Beherns’ Embrace brooch and intricate metalwork processes from Japan. Jewellery became an art form.

Almost any substance can be fashioned into a piece of jewellery, from naturally found materials like seashells and wood, to synthetic ones which imitate the real thing.

Jewellers traditionally work with highly valued metals such as gold, silver and platinum, and gemstones like diamonds, rubies and sapphires.

Contemporary jewellers also use refractory (heat resistant) metals, such as titanium and niobium, which can be treated chemically to create strikingly colourful effects.

Many designer jewellers do not use precious metals and gemstones. Some are motivated by a desire to make work that is less expensive to purchase. Others are attracted by the pliable qualities and bright colours of plastics.

Most jewellers working with non-precious materials make ‘multiples’, producing work with commercial appeal that can be bought at a lower price.

Others, like Yoko Izawa or Katy Hackney, produce more intricate or adventurous one-off styles.

Charity pins and badges show our support for good causes. They can send a message that the charity is close to our heart. Other badges and brooches are humorous, support political agendas or commemorate special anniversaries.

Designer jewellers are also interested in making pieces, which like charity badges and political brooches, incorporate messages.

Graham Stewart’s Ochil incorporates a print from an old family photograph taken in the back garden of his grandparents’ house in Tillicoultry with images from the local cast iron foundry.

Grace Girvan’s enamelled brooch reminds her of her native Orkney and Jack Cunningham’s My House is a symbol of the home as a place of shelter and sanctuary.

We often wear and treasure pieces of jewellery because they are special to use. Prized items are passed down from one generation to another as tangible symbols of family histories. Wedding and engagement rings are signs of romantic love and attachment.

In Victorian times, following the death of a family member, sombre clothes were put on during the period of mourning. Plain black jewellery with a matt surface was work soon after the death, with pieces becoming gradually more ornate as time passed.

Jet, a form of fossilised wood, was the ideal material for carving elaborate designs worn during mourning. Jet’s popularity led to a large trade developing in towns like Whitby in northern England.

Sentimental jewellery incorporating human hair woven in complex patterns was also a popular memorial.

For some of us, adorning our bodies with tattoos, war paint, personal works of art or pieces of jewellery is an important statement of identity and status, and can give us a sense of belonging.

Choosing which piece of jewellery to wear is a personal affirmation of our individual style. It may be a token of affection, evocation of a time, place, event or person. For some it is a symbol of allegiance to a group, religion or fashion. Whilst the monetary value might be unimportant, most pieces are enriched by the craftsmanship of the talented individuals who made them.

Since the 1970s traditional ideas about the materials, structure and shape of jewellery have been challenged by artist-jewellers. Today jewellers can make large sculptural pieces or re-imagine designs for the conventional brooch, bracelet, necklace or ring.