Tuesday, August 30, 2011

"To a well to get water, without putting on gold earrings, do not go".

The title is a 15th century proverb from Novgorod (a northern city of the Rus.)  I am incredibly amused by it.  Its also a great bit of color for my persona and how Praksedys is different from Hastings.  Hastings barely manages to get dressed in clothes that match and hasn't managed jewelry in good long time.  Lady Praksedys won't go anywhere for any reason without the right accessory.

Russian women wore long extravagant earrings.  At the end of the 15th Century Giles Fletcher describes women wearing earrings of "two inches or more."  The picture is of two sets of extant pairs of 17th century earrings.  (Treasures of the Czars p.58))  I had a bunch of chandelier findings that I figured would help me make sufficiently dangly jewelry.  I went digging through my "random bead box" of stuff left from other projects and things purchased because it was clearanced.  I found some moonstones, some carnelian donuts, some little unakite spheres, a couple of green crystals from a bag of junk jewelry bits, little metal leaves I've had for at least 10 years and, of course, pearls.  I like them, but I'm a little concerned that they're too matchy.  The peach/oranges and greens are the same ones in the povoinik and volosnik.  Coordinating isn't nearly gaudy enough.  I've got plenty more chandeliers and I know there are some garnets around here.  Might have to play around some more.  That way Praks will have plenty of earrings for wearing around camp.



1 comment:

  1. Careful! Fia has a travel jewelry box and its getting to full to close. Its addicting!

    Your earrings are gorgeous, I'd wear them mundanely!

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