A Charm Bracelet — Jane Sheppard by John Paul Dowling

A Charm Bracelet Jane Sheppard

With special thanks to: Alice, Aphya, Becky, Diana Porter, Grace, Jo, Ken, Mary, Matt, Mum, Tamar, and Tanya

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o one is quite sure how the bracelet came to be in our family. We think my great-grandmother bought it for herself, as mum remembers she used to treat herself to jewellery when she had the money. We don’t know where the charms came from, although we think she may have bought at least one of them, probably the Anteros.

Florence Beeton was born 16th August 1898 in Southampton, the eldest of ten children: Florence, Minnie, May, Laurie, George, Frankie and Bill. Nobody knows what happened to the other three brothers; they had ‘just disappeared or ran away to sea’. Their mother, Melina died of tuberculosis aged thrity-eight. Their father was a general store keeper, who also organised music shows for the community. When she was aged about eleven, Florence would perform a clog dance at these shows and was paid ½d. She had a lot of responsibilities even as a young girl; one of her sisters, May was ill and Florence would push her to the hospital and back in a basket pramchair, a journey of six miles each way.

Top: Florence Knapp neé Beeton, c. 1925 Bottom: Florence with her sister Minnie, London, mid - 1950s Right: Florence with her niece, Mary c. 1940

Florence and John Knapp (Jack) married when she was sixteen and he was fifteen. Jack lied about his age to get work on the boats and went away to sea. They lived in Chapel, a run down and impoverished area of Southampton, until they moved to number five Lower Bridge Road around 1935. Florence made some money by renting out some of the rooms in her house to lodgers, who were usually seamen on shore leave. When Jack left the merchant navy, he worked at Southampton docks as a stevedore, loading and unloading cargo ships. At one time Jack Knapp had a stall on Kingsland market in the Chapel area of Southampton, close to the docks. He sold exotic birds; parakeets and cockateels that came in on the boats. When I was in my twenties I had a stall on the same market, selling vintage clothes, books and brica-brac. I was fascinated when my mum told me that her grandfather had had a stall there many years earlier, and I would imagine what the market had been like in those days. Kingsland market has now changed so much the city council have had to erect a sign to inform people that it is a market square.

Top and left: Jack Knapp, my great grandfather Bottom: My Uncle Jackie, Florenceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brother

Top: Florence and Jackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s son Bernard and with his wife Mary, c. 1940 Bottom right: Florence with her daughter-inlaw, Mary Knapp Bottom left: Florence with her sister, Minnie and their nephew, Tommy Cassily

Florence and Jack Knapp had four children: Florence, Jack, Bernard and Raymond. Florence, my grandmother, married Robert Craddock in 1937 and they had six children: Anita, Carole (my mum), Greta, Robert, Lynette and Peter.

Top left: My mum, Carole aged two. Top right: My grandmother, Florence Craddock c. 1940 Left: Florence and Robert Craddockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wedding day

My mum, Carole aged eleven My Uncle Bob aged twelve My Auntie Anita and Uncle Dave, 1957 My Auntie Lynnette and Sally the dog c. 1956

y mum, Carole, was born at her Gran’s house on Lower Bridge Road on 1st October 1939. Her earliest memories are of being lifted out of her cot and carried to an air raid shelter under Central Bridge. She remembers being in the shelter at night, playing with her dolls and a tea-set. My mum and her brothers and sisters spent weekends and Christmas at Florence’s house. They loved it there because she was fun to be around; she sang, danced, told jokes and played the piano. There was always a plate of food for anyone who turned up. My mum remembers sleeping in the front bedroom at her Gran’s, seeing the lights and hearing the rattle of the trams passing over Central Bridge. Their grandfather Jack owned a small motor-boat which was kept down on the river at Crosshouse. Florence’s sister Minnie lived in London, and she would come down to visit ‘now and then’. Mum remembers Minnie’s daughter Helen twisting her hair into rags to make ringlets.

Left: My mum presenting a bunch of flowers to the Mayoress of Southampton on VE Day 1948. Opposite page: Ordnance Survey map showing bombs dropped during WW2 raids on Southampton on 30th November and 1st December 1940. My Great-grandmother’s house is marked with a red circle.

Mum remembers always buying a bread roll on the way to school and eating the warm bread in the middle first, saving the crust for later. When she was seven or eight years old, she earned money at a local shop, weighing and packing dried fruit, peas and sugar. When my mum was about eleven, the family moved to Windmill Lane in Bursledon, a village outside Southampton. They had one and half acres of apple and pear orchards, and two pigs and some chickens. Her dad, Bob, grew flowers and mum would take small bunches to sell at the cricket ground for 6d which paid for her cookery and needlework classes at school and a comic. When she was a few years older, she worked cleaning eggs, milking cows, picking strawberries and haymaking at a local farms. She also did a door-to-door fruit and vegâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; round once every two weeks. Mum met my dad, Dennis Sheppard, in 1957 when she was working at Mayes, a department store in Southampton, and he was a builder. They married in 1961 and had three children, Susan, Graeme and myself. My mum only wore the charm bracelet a few times. She thought it was lovely but it always caught on her clothes, and it was quite heavy to wear. so she put it away for me.

Top: My mum aged about fourteen Bottom: My mum and Dadsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; wedding day, April Fools Day, 1961 Opposite: A family holiday in the South of France, 1968

I used to go with my mum to Gran’s flat in Golden Grove, Southampton in the 1970s. She lived there with her brother my uncle Jack, who was about 4’ 5” and wore thick spectacles and a brown trilby. He had a dodgy hearing aid and used to shout loudly all the time. They had a budgie and a little dog that Uncle Jack had trained to not bark, because they weren’t allowed to keep any pets in the flats. Gran had a box of photographs and I used to love looking through these and asking her questions about them. I remember one time when I was about twelve and I had to prop Gran up after she’d had a couple of large sherries at the Gladstone Working Mens’ Club, and then getting told off by my dad for dropping her into a hedge. My last memory of Gran is of her holding my daughter Ariane Florence when she was about two months old, and saying to my mum ‘I remember when you were like this’. There were five generations in the room that day. My Gran died not long after that, and I’m so glad that she got to see Ariane and Ariane got to be held by her. My mum gave the bracelet to me about five years ago. I am completely fascinated by it and love to wear it. It feels heavy and jangly, and I love the way it falls on my hand. Annoyingly, it often hooks onto my clothes, pulling the threads, so I have to be careful whenever I’m wearing it. I dread the thought of losing it and always panic if I have misplaced it, not resting until it has been found. I always think of my great-grandmother when I wear the bracelet. I only remember her as an old lady, and my memories of her are partly made from photographs and stories, but the bracelet makes me think about her life and how, although she had suffered many hardships in her younger years, she was an inspirational person, kind, fearless, and with a great sense of humour. And she wouldn’t take any crap from anybody.

Top: Florence’s flat in Golden Grove, Southampton Opposite page: My daughter, Ariane Florence, 2010

Ariane: I like that it’s old and gold. I like how it looks. The coffee pot is definitely my favourite, I don’t know why, it just is. If I bought a charm I would get a hammer or a screw. Or maybe, like, a palm tree. Or some cherries… little gold cherries. Or a clock. A little clock would be nice. It’s an heirloom, I would keep it safe .

Handing down & possessing

female male

The journey of a charm bracelet through five generations

he handing down of items of value is a common cultural practice. The route of the item that is passed down varies between cultures, but usually jewellery is passed down through the female line. In Britain, jewellery would be included in a dowry (money or property), bought to a marriage by the bride. The handing down and possessing of jewellery within a family is termed by jewellery designer and author, Petra Ahde, as ‘multigenerational possessing’1. The piece of jewellery that is handed down often has a high exchange value but this is not essential. It is however, a significant piece of jewellery because of its biography. Because the handing down and possessing of jewellery is a practice of women, and therefore, feminine, the nonexchange value of jewellery is termed ‘sentimental’, which connotes syrupy affectation. The value of the jewellery relates to the meanings and memories that it holds, and these would appear to be far more powerful than the word sentimental suggests. Ahde suggests that a piece of jewellery that has been in a family for several generations never really belongs to the possessor, but to the family. Each individual possessor only controls, or has legal rights over the jewellery for a small part of its biography. This brings responsibility and obligation; the jewellery must be taken care of, and handed down to a chosen person within the family.2

Image featured on promotional stickers and badges for the release of the Sex Pistols’ single God Save The Queen, on Virgin Records in 1977.

Receiving a piece of jewellery signifies the attachment of the possessor to a larger entity of people. This relates to the basic human need to identify with a group. Subcultural groups use jewellery and other bodily adornments such as tattoos and piercings as a means of identifying themselves. The wearing of safety pins as jewellery became iconic of punk fashion.3

Jewellery designer, Petra Ahde describes jewellery that is handed down acts as ‘a container for the devolution of memories’. Some memories are shared or ‘societal’ memories that relate to the family, and some are individual memories, conferred onto the jewellery by each new possessor. If these individual memories are handed down with the jewellery, they become part of the shared or societal memory. In this way, the piece accumulates new meanings, and the life and story of each possessor become part of the jewellery.1 This also works to perpetuate connection within the family. It is representative of different generations, making memories tangible and acting as a mediating artefact in the telling of these. With certain pieces of jewellery, the manner of wearing might change: many people wear rings on a necklace. Also, people will often use the materials from a piece of jewellery that has been handed down in the creation of a new piece of jewellery. In this way the jewellery retains its emotional value and attributed meanings.2 People I spoke to about their jewellery all said they felt some connection to it. They said they thought of particular people when they wore it. This could be either a person who had previously owned the jewellery, or in the case of charm bracelets, a person that had given them a charm as a gift.

Mary My dad gave me my mum’s wedding ring after she died. It’s a gold band. It’s been worn down, it’s quite thin now, it used to be thick. It fits me perfectly. I wear it all the time, I never take it off. It’s the only thing that I’ve actually got of my mums’. It makes me think of her, it’s something that will always be there. It’s also an indication of when I’ve put on weight! Tamar My mum’s got a lovely charm bracelet which was handed down. I always loved it as a kid. I remember it had a little teapot, miniature playing cards, ballet shoes, a top hat, and my favourite, which she did give to me, a charm that I wear a lot. It’s a little glass round thing containing a bit of fools gold! Jo My maternal grandmother was a massive fan of brooches and the five of us grand-daughters and six great-grand daughters chose one each to keep when she passed away. We all wore them to her funeral. My daughter Lillie’s brooch is a beautiful gold owl with ruby eyes. I don’t know where or when Nan acquired it but it’s quite hypnotic. It may be from the Far East. I know she had connections with China in the early part of the last century; I think an uncle of hers was a merchant seaman. I do think of her when I wear it, more so when putting it on, I always get the strange urge to give it a little rub and feel the metal becoming warm between my finger tips, almost meditative.

Traditional Indian wedding mendhi

Aphya

The nose stud was bought by my great-grandfather as part of my great-grandmother’s wedding jewellery. It was bought in what was then India, decades before the partition of Pakistan and Bangladesh. The nose stud was passed down from my great-grandmother to my grandmother, who, before she died, passed it to my mother for her to keep for me. The nose stud means a lot to me. I never met my greatgrandmother but I was very close to my grandmother. She died when I was very young and the gap in our family has never been filled. She was such a strong, independent woman. She raised my mother, her only child, as a single parent when my grandfather was sent to prison for many years. She did this without thought for any cultural backbiting, and without the support of my grandfather’s family or her own family, in a time when women were severely restricted in East Pakistan. I don’t really like nose studs, but when my mother gave it to me a couple of months ago, I couldn’t resist the powerful attachment I had to this one little piece of jewellery. It may only be small, but at one point it was part of the significant wealth of the strong women in my family, and for that reason it really means a lot to me. If I ever have a daughter no doubt I will pass the nose stud down to her. In a Bengali marriage, the families play a very important role in organising the wedding and in ‘bargaining’. The groom’s family are expected to buy the bride seven saris, including her bridal outfit, and her wedding gold. In return, the bride’s family buy the groom furniture and other items for their married life. The wedding gold is very important. The amount of gold given, the quality, and cost are all scrutinised by the bride’s family, relatives, friends and the community.

The amount of gold given reflects the status and wealth of the groom’s family. If the groom is wealthy but only gives a small amount of gold to the bride, the community disapproves and such a thing won’t be forgotten. Bengali people are always worried about the perception of themselves by other Bengalis. They would do pretty much anything to ensure that the view of the family isn’t tainted. So, more often than not, the groom’s side will spend a lot of money on the gold to keep their standing in the community. The amount of gold given also symbolises how much respect the groom’s family have for the bride. In the past, if the bride and groom had a ‘love marriage’ there would only be a small amount of gold given to show disapproval. As love marriages are increasing, this doesn’t happen so often anymore. My sister-in-law, who was a divorcee with two kids before she married my brother, was given no gold by my family and her pre-nup was really crap. My father only paid for her bridal outfit and that was it. Although she is now accepted by both my mother and father, these things really showed how disapproving they were of her, especially the fact that she received no gold. What tends to happen is that wedding gold is passed down from mother to daughter and so on. I inherited my great-grandmother’s nose-stud and I will also inherit my grandmother’s wedding gold, and my mother’s. I wish I could show you these because they really are beautiful but my mothers got them locked up somewhere and she’s out of the country!

This tradition of buying gold for the bride may seem in western culture like the bride is being ‘bought’, but it’s not seen like that in Bengali culture. It’s really important to our culture. It shows how much a woman is regarded that her husband’s family want to adorn her with beautiful items, and feel that she is more than worth it. I’m a feminist but even I love this tradition. I can’t wait to see how much I mean to Sam’s family. I mean the world to him, but in Asian families you don’t just marry your partner but you marry the family.

24 carat Indian gold flower nose stud.

This is my motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s engagement ring from her engagement to my father. He bought it for her in 1965 (it was brand new). They were engaged twice, using the same ring, before they were married. When they first became engaged things did not work out so well, so my mother returned the ring to my father and they went their separate ways. Then after about seven months my father turned up with the ring and proposed again. My mother accepted. They got married by the end of the year but were to separate and divorce some years later.

Grace

My mother gave the ring to me on my thirtieth birthday saying she hoped the ring would be luckier for me than it was for her. I had just come out of a long-term relationship and I had just turned thirty, so I think when I received the ring, I took it with the hope and expectation that it would bring me good luck and a new start. I think the ring still carries this meaning for me, although perhaps in more an unconscious way. The ring represents for me the strong bond I have with my mother and when I wear it I feel elegant and mature, as though I am wearing something precious and delicate. I have always been a big fan of stars, astronomy and astrology, so the depiction of the star in the ring also pleases me greatly. Wearing it I feel connected to my mother and father, and to the greater cosmos! I feel pleased to wear something beautiful that was offered as a symbol of love between my parents, even if in later years it came to represent bad luck! I am a positive person, intentionally turning that feeling of bad luck around and seeing the ring as the original symbol of love that it was intended to be; imbuing it deliberately with the innocence, love and affection that it was originally viewed with.

18 carat gold wedding ring, with a star-shaped diamond solitaire.

The ring means a lot to me and is one of my most precious (and valuable!) material possessions. I remember how I loved it as a child, its simple delicate shape, which was like a twinkling star. I loved my mother very much and so this ring holds the memories of my childhood.

Yesterday I packed up all my sister’s personal belongings. As I made piles of clothes, jewellery, bags, shoes and other things I had salty, hot tears streaming down my face. Every now and then this silent searing noise would soar through my body, just as it has hundreds of times since that I got that awful call from my Dad five weeks ago. It must have been hours of packing before I reached the old jewellery collection. I recognised much of it because it is a mirror image of all the jewellery I once had. I threw it all out long ago. I never had much time for the past; but I am regretting that now as I sort through my sister’s life, the older parts all packed away neatly, nursing memories, good and bad and everything in between. A broken charm bracelet. At least I think it’s broken. I seem to remember so many more charms and its so tiny and small. But then it doesn’t look broken now I look closely. I remember how special they were to us when we were little. I used to only wear mine on very special occasions. Birthday parties, special lunches and dinners, but also I think once or twice to school since they were quite fashionable and exclusive among girls at my school. I used to love the way it would fall on my hand and somehow would I remember someone. Mum and dad would now and then give us a new one to add which was so exciting. Each little charm seemed to tell a story. An owl, a man on a unicycle, a boat, an apple. I’m sure there were more than this? My favourite one was the little boat with the teeny-weeny little oar. It wasn’t like any boat I’d ever seen before. It was so beautiful. Now I can see the bracelets were pretty cheaply made. The owls’ eyes seem a bit wonky, the edges of the apple are coarse. But that’s not how we saw it at all back then. Those bracelets were the most precious things we owned.

Tanya

Now looking at the charms it’s so obvious what they mean: Good health, trying new things,learning, adventure, wisdom; each charm a simple parental wish based on an imagined formula for success and happiness. It’s a faulty formula, but any of them are. Anyway, the thought is a nice one and so I make a wish too: May these little girls’ lives be charmed with luck and filled with love, joy, laughter, and happiness. 33

Alice: I bought the chain from New Look when I was about thirteen. The keys are from some handcuffs. The beads my mother gave me, she had some replica Egyptian beads and she gave me some because she knew I liked them. I think they are labradorite, I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t remember, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had it for years.

Petra Ahde has referred to the work of cultural anthropologists to examine comparitively, the power of jewellery and other totemic objects in ‘primitive’ cultures and in modern cultures. This power is abstract and based on the belief in its existence.1 Jewellery that has been handed down is often thought to have inherent powers. Ahde defines these powers as either subjective, influenced by personal experience, as or collective, inherited beliefs: ‘Collective beliefs of jewellery are valid for societies or families, while private beliefs are valid only for the current possessor…’ Subjective, or experienced, powers are are inherited from previous possessors of the jewellery. These powers are things that the jewellery will provide, such as luck, success or protection. Collective, or acquired powers are learned or are common knowledge, ie from traditions or folklore. Ahde divides these two categories again; into abstract (symbolic) power, and concrete (curative) power, for example using gold to cure eye diseases; or symbolic, such as fertility, honesty or victory through misfortune.2 ‘Power’ jewellery does not have to be valuable. It can be cheap, mass-produced jewellery. Its powers are attained through beliefs, experiences and history. One of the most common powers of jewellery is that it provides the possessor with a sense of connection to the family; this is an experienced, abstract power.3

Grace

These charms are from a bracelet that belonged to my grandmother and it was given to me when she died. I don’t know much about it, but my grandmother travelled quite a bit, and I think some of the charms are from places that she visited. I remember her wearing it a lot in the 1970s. She was pretty superstitious; I once put an umbrella up in the house and my mum freaked out, and my nan collapsed laughing and said she was superstitious. My mum said ‘Where do you think I got that from?’ They used to live in Devon and that’s where the pixie came from. My mum remembers going to the Isle of Wight a few times on family holidays and that’s where she got that one. I think she went to Eastern Europe as well, I’m not sure where, Romania or somewhere like that. I think maybe the bear came from there, and the man playing the guitar. I’m guessing the bull came from Spain as there were no Taureans in her life! She was a Cancerian and that’s probably why she got the crab. She definitely went to Venice, that’s where she got the gondola. The thistle would probably be Scotland. The Lucky Seven? That’s not silver, I think it’s tin or something. Her husband like to gamble a bit, maybe that’s why she’s got that one. The little church is amazing, it opens up and there are two tiny people getting married! I love the silver coin, is it a thru’penny bit? I like the man playing the guitar as well, but the thru’penny bit reminds me of her. I don’t wear it that much, only when I’m drawn to it, it’s not an everyday piece of jewellery. I definitely feel connected to her when I wear it.

Love, luck and protection

harms and amulets have been used in every culture through every period of history. They are artefacts that are worn on the body and are believed to confer powers upon the wearer, typically love, luck and protection. The power of a meaningful piece of jewellery is determined by its’ particular social, spiritual or emotional relevance, and this is dependant on the culture or the individual’s personal beliefs or experience. Charms can be made of many different materials and in most instances the material from which they are made contributes to their meanings: If an item is made of wood, the type of wood is significant, if it is made of metal, the type of metal dictates the effect the object will have. If stones are included, their colour is both symbolic and influential. The ancients wore protective charms made from teeth, shells, bones and stones. One of the earliest known charms appeared in Ancient Egypt c.2124 B.C. This was an amulet carved to represent the scarab beetle. These were placed with mummified bodies to ensure protection for the soul on its’ journey to the afterlife.1 Most charms are ‘apotropaic’, meaning they ward off evil. The word derives from the Greek apotrope, meaning turning away or averting, as in averting the evil eye.2 Beliefs about the evil eye are found in many religions, typically revolving around the use of amulets or charms worn as protection from a glance or look that was believed to have the power to injure or kill. It began in Classical Greece but was a widely extended belief among many different cultures, primarily the Middle East, West Africa, Central America, South Asia, Central Asia, and Europe, especially the Mediterranean region. It also spread to other areas, including northern Europe, particularly the Celtic regions.3

The hamsa is a palmshaped amulet, worn in the Middle East and North Africa as a necklace, to protect against the evil eye. Romantic love is traditionally represented by a heart-shape. A horseshoe is a traditional symbol for good luck.

The concept and its significance vary widely: There are many folkloric, theological, classical, and anthropological interpretations that present a different, but similar ideas of the evil eye; specifically, that the fear of the evil eye is based on the belief that a person, otherwise not malevolent in any way, can harm adults, children, livestock or possessions, simply by looking at them with envy. The word ‘evil’ may be misleading in this context, because it suggests intention. A better understanding of the term evil eye can be gained from the old English word for casting the evil eye, namely ‘overlooking’, implying that the gaze has remained focused on the coveted object, person, or animal for too long. In contemporary Britain, people use the expression ‘to give someone the evil eye’ meaning to glare at a person in anger or disgust. Belief in the evil eye is found in Islamic doctrine, and practices of warding off the evil eye are commonly practiced by Muslims. For example, rather than directly expressing appreciation of a child’s beauty, it is customary to say Masha’Allah, ‘God has willed it’, or invoking God’s blessings upon the object or person that is being admired. Similarly, Ashkenazi Jews in Europe use the expression Keyn aynhoreh meaning ‘No evil eye’ in Yiddish, to ward off a curse after something or someone has been rashly praised or good news has been spoken aloud. In Judaism, a kabbalah red string bracelet provides health and protection from evil forces, specifically the evil eye and black magic. It is said to be unlucky to bring peacock feathers into a house. This is because the markings on the peacock feathers resemble eyes, and to bring the evil eye into your home is to invite trouble and sorrow.

The advent of Christianity meant that charms came to be associated with magic and earlier, pagan gods. At the same time many Christians used talismanic items such as inscribed coins to protect against illness. Medieval Christianity, with its’ emphasis on good and evil, brought the idea of death to the forefront of consciousness. People would carry small reminders of their own mortality, a memento mori, literally, ‘Remember that you must die’.1 Many travellers also carry a pendant featuring Saint Christopher, or hang one in their vehicle, to protect them on their travels. The Christian church permits the use of these sacramentals, but the wearer must keep in mind that the object has no power of its own; it’s primary use is that of a reminder. It is the power of God that helps them, and the sacramentals are merely blessed with God’s grace.2 Because of the proscription of idols, Jewish amulets emphasise text and names; For example the commonly worn ‘Kimiyah’ contains the names of angels or passages from the Torah written on small squares of parchment squares by Rabbinical scribes (Sofers). The parchment is kept in an ornate silver case or leather pouch and worn on the body.3

Top: A Memento Mori Bottom: A St. Christopher Opposite page: A stencil of Ra, the Egyptian Sun god and Omega, Bristol 2011

Are you superstitious? I tend to avoid walking under ladders, mainly cos’ I think something might drop on my head. If you spill salt you should use your left hand to throw it over your right shoulder, or your right hand to throw it over your left shoulder or something like that. Obviously breaking mirrors is the main one. You don’t break mirrors. Touch wood. One must not open an umbrella indoors. The pavement one. I don’t step on the cracks. Don’t travel in a green boat. Never look at the moon through glass. Never cut your toe nails on a friday. My nan always used to say that! I never put new shoes on a table. Never trust a man whose eyebrows meet in the middle. Never bring eggs into the house after dark. Always salute a magpie, if there’s only one. It’s alright if there are two.

Traces of earlier belief systems remain in popular cultural practices. People still wear charms which they believe will bring them good fortune and protection against bad luck. This is seen in modern societies as superstitious. A superstition is defined as a belief or notion, not based on knowledge or reason, and deemed irrational. The term is commonly applied to beliefs and practices surrounding luck, prophecy and spiritual beings; particularly the belief that future events can be foretold by specific and unrelated preceding events. This leads to some superstitions being called ‘old wives’ tales’. In this context, the word wife means woman rather than married woman. This usage stems from Old English wif (woman). A touch piece is a coin or other similar piece believed to possess powers, particularly coins with holes in them. This may be linked to earlier practices of wearing stones or pebbles which had holes. Such pieces were believed to possess curative powers, bring good luck, influence people’s behaviour, or were used to carry out a specific action. Holy Sacrament communion coins would be worn around the neck of the sick person, or made into a ring. What most touch pieces have in common is that they have to be touched or in close physical contact for the power to be obtained or transferred. Once this is achieved, the power remains in the coin, which is then an amulet. The Celts believed that at the full moon any silver coins on one’s person should be jingled or turned over to prevent bad luck. Other practices involving coins include: Throwing coins into a well; placing silver coins in Christmas puddings and birthday cakes to bring good luck and wealth. Top: A lucky sixpence Bottom: A Chinese lucky coin

When my daughter Ariane was a baby strangers would come up to me and give me a silver coin or put one in her pram to bring her (and them) good luck.

Six charms

raditionally, a girl may be given a bracelet, and charms are added to it to mark special or significant occasions in her life, such as eighteenth and twenty-first birthdays, the birth of a child or a wedding. My bracelet does not follow the traditional pattern of handing down, as it was passed directly from my greatgrandmother to my mum. We don’t know where or when Gran bought the bracelet or which, if any, of the charms she bought. In spite of this, I am intrigued by the charms and have researched them for possible meanings. The bracelet is 9 carat gold and weighs 36.5 grammes. It has a heart-shaped clasp and six charms. This type of charm bracelet is also called a ‘belcher’. The chain, the clasp, and all of the charms except one were assayed at the Birmingham Assay Office.The six charms are: A Celtic soldier, a Life Guard of the Household Cavalry, two roe deer, a Victorian coffee-pot, a toby jug, and the Greek god of requited love, Anteros. The charms are very ‘of their time’. I see them as symbolic of a particular and traditional British identity. At first I didn’t really like the charms and wanted to start collecting new ones, but then I realised that the bracelet was very much of a particular time and place. They seem quaint and very unfashionable, which is partly why I love them so much.

Clasp 9ct gold Assayed: 1970 – 71 Birmingham

Chain 9ct gold Assayed: 1973 – 74 Birmingham

This soldier charm was originally enamelled, and a small trace of red enamelling identifies it as a Life Guard of the British Household Cavalry. The Household Cavalry is the most senior military regiment in Britain and the Commonwealth countries. It comprises two different units, the Household Cavalry Regiment and the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment. The history of the Life Guards dates back to 1659, at the court of the exiled King Charles II in Bruges, when a group of loyalists, led by Lord Gerrard of Brandon, formed themselves into the King’s Life Guard.1 In 1992, the Life Guards were merged with the Blues and Royals to form the Household Cavalry Regiment. However, they maintain their regimental identity, with distinct uniforms and traditions. The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment consists of a squadron from both the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals. The regiment perform ceremonial duties and combat duties associated directly with the Head of state, including the Queen’s official birthday parade, ‘Trooping the Colour’, state opening of Parliament and state visits. The ceremonial uniform of the Household Cavalry is unique among the regiments. The soldiers wear a brass helmet, with a long plume of horse hair hanging from the top. The two squadrons can be identified by the colour of their jacket, which is called a tunic, and by the plumes on their helmets: The Life Guards wear red tunics with white plumed helmets and the Blues and Royals wear blue tunics and have red plumed helmets. When on mounted guard duty the soldiers also wear a ‘cuirasse’, chest armour made of metal, white riding-breeches, and tall, black, winged leather jack boots.2

Life Guard 9ct gold Assayed: 1971 – 72 London Bottom: Badge of the Royal Household Cavalry with the motto ‘Honi soit qui mal y pense’ (Evil to him who evil thinks)

Coffee Pot 9ct gold Assayed: 1972 – 73 Birmingham Makers mark: LOP

This charm is a Victorian coffee pot. The first coffee house in Britain was established in London in 1652. By 1670 there were hundreds of coffee-houses all over London, particularly in the financial district in east London. In 1698 Jonathan’s Coffee-House posted stock and commodity prices, and this evolved into the London Stock Exchange. Another well-known coffee-house was opened by Edward Lloyd, on Lombard Street which eventually became ‘Lloyd’s of London.1 The flavour of coffee was strange to the English palate, which was more familiar with bland flavourings. Coffee was likened to all things disgusting and many people were critical of the fashionable new drink. As Markman Ellis points out, suspicions about coffee manifested deeper cultural cautions about modernity.2 The coffee-houses were centres for social and cultural life. Business deals were done, political issues were debated, news and gossip were exchanged. The early coffee-houses were seen as places of political dissent and rebellion, and were threatened with closure. They were frequented by businessmen, playwrights, poets, authors and artists, and were one of the few places where all social classes mixed.

The coffee-house was defined as a masculine space; women were not permitted to enter, except for the limonadière, who dispensed tobacco, pipes and beverages. The all-male patronage provided rich pickings for the local ladies of the night. Throughout the 19th century coffeehouses went into a decline; news and post was delivered to homes, and private clubs meant that the social mix of earlier years was replaced by class and political divisions. The first Starbucks opened in 1970 in California. While on a trip to Europe, the owner, Howard Schultz was impressed by the cafe culture f Italy and Paris, and set out to recreate the atmosphere of sociability, style and sophistication in the US. Starbucks became a national brand and then an international corporation. I imagine the old coffee-houses filled with people shouting, smoking, reading and arguing, and compare it to the soulless experience of buying decaffeinated coffee in a ‘heritage’ themed Starbucks: ‘…with worn wood, stained concrete or tiled floors, metal stools and factory-inspired lighting. Large community tables, club chairs and wooden blinds evoke a turn-of-the-last-century feeling’. This sterile and nostalgic pastiche of a coffee house depresses me. The stores all play the same music. People queue, not speaking to each other, to buy ‘ethically sourced’ coffee that they drink from cups made from 10% recycled material. Something has been lost.

Top: A Starbucks 10% recycled cup Opposite: Victorian enamel signs

Toby jugs have been around since at least the mid-18th century, when they were made popular by Staffordshire potter Ralph Wood. The Staffordshire Potteries became a centre of ceramic production in the 17th century due to the local availability of clay, salt, lead and coal. Hundreds of companies produced decorative or industrial ceramic items. The particular translucent glaze of Toby jugs was developed by throwing salt into the kiln during the firing process. The glaze was coloured by using red iron oxide. A Toby jug was a jovial, male figure with a mug in his hand and a tricorn hat which formed a pouring spout. He was dressed in a long coat with low pockets, a waistcoat, cravat, knee breeches and buckled shoes. There are several theories as to the origin of the name. It may refer to Sir Toby Belch, a character in Shakespeare’s Twelth Night; or Henry Elwes, also known as ‘Toby Fillpot’ (or Philpot),a notorious 18th century Yorkshire drinker. The name could have come from an old English drinking song, ‘Little Brown Jug’, which had been popular in 1761, around the time Toby jugs were first produced.1 Toby jugs are always associated with England and there are many English pubs named ‘The Toby Jug’. This charm makes me think of traditional pubs, and the good times that were had before chain pubs and the smoking ban.

Toby Jug 9ct gold Assayed: Unknown Birmingham Bottom: 19th century Royal DoultonToby jug designed by Harry Simeon, produced at the Lambeth factory, London

Little Brown Jug Me and my wife live all alone In a little log hut we call our own; She loves gin and I love rum, And don’t we have a lot of fun! Ha, ha, ha, you and me, Little brown jug, don’t I love thee! Ha, ha, ha, you and me, Little brown jug, don’t I love thee! When I go toiling on the farm I take the little jug under my arm; Place it under a shady tree, Little brown jug, ‘tis you and me. ’Tis you that makes me friends and foes, ’Tis you that makes me wear old clothes; But, seeing you’re so near my nose, Tip her up and down she goes. If I’d a cow that gave such milk, I’d dress her in the finest silk; Feed her up on oats and hay, And milk her twenty times a day.

This page: Lyrics to Little Brown Jug, Old English drinking song. Opposite: Sandland Ware Toby Jug, Hanley Pottery, Lancs.

And when I die don’t bury me at all, Just pickle my bones in alcohol; Put a bottle o’ booze at my head and feet And then I know that I will keep. The rose is red, my nose is too, The violet’s blue and so are you; And yet, I guess, before I stop, We’d better take another drop. 59

R Deer 9ct gold Assayed: 1972 – 73 Birmingham Makers mark: LOP Bottom: 18th century woodcut of roe stag. Over: 18th century map of The New Forest

oe deer, Capreolus capreolus, are indigenous to the British Isles, and in Celtic mythology there are many stories of deer luring hunters or kings deep into the forests until they are lost. The Ancient Celts believed deer were supernatural animals, ‘fairy cattle’ that were herded and milked by a benevolent fairy giant (a bean sìdhe), who could transform herself into a red deer. Up until the 14th century, the status of the Roe deer as ‘beasts of the chase’ meant they were protected from hunting under Forest Law. However, by royal decree, this status was removed and they became ‘beasts of the warren’. Consequently, by the end of the 18th century Roe deer had become largely extinct. Roe deer from Scotland were reintroduced in the early 19th century, at Milton Abbas, Dorset and throughout the second half of the 19th century spread as far as the New Forest.1

Roe are primarily woodland deer, but in recent years the rise in numbers has led them to colonising more open ground. Unlike other deer, they do not live in herds, and are most often seen as solitary creatures or as a family group of a mother and her offspring.2 The New Forest and deer are inextricably linked. In the late 11th century, William the Conqueror specifically set aside the forest place as a Royal hunting ground, and named it Nova Foresta, or New Forest. The New Forest is fairly close to Southampton, and it’s possible that this charm was bought there, although deer charms seem to be fairly common.

The decorative, circular shield makes me think this charm is a Celtic warrior. The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe. They were particularly skilled in metalwork, and objects of artistic value produced during this time included weaponry and jewellery. The design on the shield could be based on the Wandsworth Shield, a circular bronze Iron Age shield mount that was found in the River Thames at Wandsworth in London around 1849. It was made using the repoussĂŠ method by which metal was ornamented by hammering from the reverse side to create a design in low relief. Celtic art and design is categorised into four basic periods: Hallstatt, La Tene, Early Christian, and Late Christian or Insular. La Tene is the name of the period between the 5th century BC and the 2nd century AD. An archaeological site was discovered in La Tene, Switzerland in 1857 that contained a trove of Celtic art objects. The art of this period is defined by swirling spirals and triskeles, and floral or geometric designs. The faces of humans and animals are often hidden within the design The Art Nouveau movement of the late 19th and early 20th century takes a lot of its decorative design elements from this era.1

Celtic Warrior 9ct gold Assayed: 1972 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 73 Birmingham Top: The Wandsworth Shield Bottom: Original Art Nouveau button

Anteros 9ct gold Assayed: 1975 London Bottom: Marble sculpture by Alessandro Algardi (1788-1862) Eros and Anteros — Two Loves Fighting, Liechtenstein Museum

Ancient Greek culture had multiple deities to represent all aspects of life. A series of gods presided over everything relating to the human condition; life, death, war, even emotions were all explained by the actions and presence of a deity. Aphrodite was a symbol of fertility and sexuality. She had a number of consorts, including both mortal and immortal lovers and bore many children. Eros and Anteros were part of the Erotes, Aphrodite’s constant companions. The Erotes were creatures of poetic invention with no distinct mythology of their own, and their number varies in different works on Greek mythology. They are portrayed as child like, winged, male gods, who, according to Greek mythology, symbolise every aspect of love:1 Anteros was the son of Ares and Aphrodite, and the brother of Eros, god of love. Eros was an only child and suffered from loneliness, so Anteros was born to return the love of his brother. He is the god of requited love, a mirror image of the lovers’ feelings, symbolic of the idea that love must be reciprocal if it is to flourish. Anteros is also the god who punishes those who scorn love or do not return the love of others. Eros 1 was the ancient god of love and represented procreation. He was the eldest of the Erotes, born at the creation of the universe. Eros 2 was the god of love. He was the most mischievous of the Erotes, and randomly fired arrows from his golden bow, causing people to fall in love. Hedylogos was the god of sweet-talk and charm. Hermaphroditos was the hermaphroditic god. He was once a handsome winged youth, like the other Erotes, but his form was merged with that of the Nymphe Salmakis in answer to her prayers that the two should never be apart.

Himeros was the god of sexual desire who accompanied Aphrodite from the moment of her birth. Hymenaios was the god of marriage and ceremonial weddings; and Pothos was the god of passion and desire. The statue of Anteros is the crowning part of the famous memorial fountain in Piccadilly Circus, London. Anteros, commonly mistaken for Eros, honours the Victorian philanthropist Lord Shaftesbury, and represents his selfless love for humanity. Shaftesbury dedicated his life to helping the poor and vulnerable, particularly children, and worked to reform the labour laws which allowed children as young as four to work in chimneys and mines.2 The statue is also called ‘The Angel of Christian Charity’ and was cast by Sir Alfred Gilbert, who wrote of it: ‘…the blindfolded Love sending forth indiscriminately, yet with purpose, his missile of kindness, always with the swiftness the bird has from its wings’. Mum thinks her gran may have bought the Anteros charm. Florence used to visit her sister Minnie in London, and perhaps she bought it as a souvenir during a visit. I can imagine them all getting dressed up on a Saturday night and going to the West End.

Piccadilly Circus London, 1960s Left: The Shaftesbury Memorial Statue

Hallmarks & cartouches

hallmark is an official mark or series of marks struck on to items made of precious metals such as platinum, gold, silver and in some countires, palladium. Historically, hallmarks were applied by trusted craftsmen, and nowadays by an assay office. They are a guarantee of certain purity or fineness of the metal as determined by a formal metallurgical assay. Hallmarking is an ancient system. The first recorded statute governing standards date back to 1238, although there were controls on precious metal workers prior to this. At this time there were no official marks, but makers would often engrave their name or place of work on the piece. The end of the 13th century saw a marking system introduced as a means to prevent the export of silver from England. The first official mark was a leopard’s head. This was used on coin standard silver and 19.2 carat gold.

1824 – 25

1824– 25

1895– 96

1730 – 31

In 1363 a statute was passed by which every professional goldsmith had to have a makers’ mark.This was to help prevent the forgery of the leopards’ head. These marks were originally symbols, and it was only with the spread of literacy in the late 15th century, that initials started to appear. This system proved adequate until 1478, when a further mark was introduced. Today this is referred to as the ‘date letter’. This was a precaution against the fraudulent marking of poor quality gold and silver, which was then accepted as authentic by the Mint and converted into coins. Other significant changes took place at this time; the ‘touch wardens’ (who were responsible for the testing and marking of gold and silver), were required to work exclusively at Goldsmiths’ Hall. In addition, all silver and goldsmiths had to take their work to the Hall to be marked, hence the name hallmark.

Official assay marks for: Birmingham (Anchor) London (Leopard’s Head) Edinburgh (Castle) Sheffield (Crown)

1300

1300 – 50

1350

1481 – 82

1518 – 19

1519 – 20

The Leopard’s Head was the first official hall mark for English gold and silver. The original mark dates back to 1300.

The three marks of the leopard’s head, maker’s mark and date letter remained until 1544 when a fourth mark, the lion passant was introduced. This mark is probably the most famous of all English marks. Also referred to as the Sterling Lion, this mark showed that the Assay Office had come under Royal control. There was no further change to the system until the end of the 17th century. In 1697 the Britannia standard was introduced, which raised the standard for silver from 92.5% to 95.84%. This meant it had to be refined and could not be melted down to produce objects. In 1784 a duty mark was introduced that showed the duty had been paid for the American War of Independence. This was only struck on silver. From 1300 gold was marked in the same way as sterling silver. Distinct gold marking developed when 18 carat gold was introduced, although 22 carat gold continued to be struck with the same marks as sterling silver until 1844. From 1933 to the present day, there are only four standards of gold: 22, 18, 14 and 9 carats. In 1973 platinum was bought under the marking regime, as was palladium in 2007 when the British Hallmarking Council proposed an amendment to the Hallmarking Act. In the UK, the Hallmarking Act of 1973 makes it an offence to describe as platinum, gold or silver an item which is not hallmarked as appropriate. The first UK Assay Office was Goldsmiths’ Hall, founded around 1300, and where the term ‘hallmarking’ originates, meaning ‘marked in Goldsmiths’ Hall’.

Top: Jewellers use a monocular, handheld loupe with 10x magnification to identify a hallmark. Bottom: Hallmark on the clasp of my bracelet.

The elements of a hallmark are called the cartouches.

This cartouche indicates the office where the gold was assayed. The anchor is the official mark of the Birmingham Assay Office.

This cartouche indicates the purity of the gold. The clasp is 9 carat gold and has a millesimal fineness of 375

A letter of the alphabet is used to date the hallmark. The letter V dates it at 1772â&#x20AC;&#x201C;73

Crowned Harp, Dublin, 1715 – 1716 The crowned harp is the official Dublin Assay Office mark.

John Laughlin Dublin, Mid – 18th c.

Joseph Stoaker Dublin, Late – 17th c.

Matthew Walker Dublin, Early – 18th c.

Since then, there have been ten Assay Offices in the UK: Dublin, Exeter (closed 1883), Chester (closed 1961), Glasgow (closed 1964), Newcastle (closed 1884), Norwich (closed 1702), and York (closed 1857). There are four remaining Assay Offices in the UK. These are in London, Sheffield, Birmingham and Edinburgh. The Birmingham Assay Office opened in August 1773 and initially operated from three rooms in the Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Head Inn on New Street employing only four staff. In 1815 the Birmingham Assay Office moved to its own premises at Little Cannon Street and then to its current home on Newhall Street in the Jewellery Quarter in 1877. It is now the largest Assay Office in the world, hallmarking 13 million articles in 2003. The development of a silver industry in 18th century Birmingham was hindered by a law stating that items of solid silver be assayed, and the nearest Assay Offices were in Chester and London. Industrialists joined forces with silversmiths of Sheffield to petition Parliament for the establishment of Assay Offices in their respective cities. In spite of determined opposition by London silversmiths, an Act of Parliament was passed in March 1773, allowing Birmingham and Sheffield the right to assay silver.

The hallmark of the Birmingham Assay Office is the Anchor, and that of the Sheffield Assay Office was the Crown. A story about the origins of this hallmark go that meetings prior to the inauguration of both Birmingham and Sheffield Assay Offices in 1773 were held at a public house called the Crown and Anchor Tavern on the Strand, London. It is rumoured that the choice of symbol was made on the toss of a coin that resulted in Birmingham winning the Anchor and Sheffield with the Crown (which has now been changed to a rose).1

Saml Welder, London Early 18th c.

Lewis Herne & Frances Butty, London Late 18th c.

Walker & Hall, London 20th c.

John Parker & Edward Wakelin, London Late 18th c.

James Garrard, London Late 19th c.

Sarah Holaday, London Early 18th c.

Letters indicate the year of the hallmark

Dublin 1665 – 66

Chester 1830 – 31

Chester 1776 – 77

Chester 1757 – 58

Chester 1830 – 31

Newcastle 1738 – 39

Dublin 1663 – 64

Dublin 1664 – 65

Chester 1727 – 28

Sheffield 1835 – 36

London 1538 – 39

Gold

hell! what have we here? A carrion Death, within whose empty eye There is a written scroll! Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll read the writing. All that glitters is not gold; Often have you heard that told: Many a man his life hath sold But my outside to behold: Gilded tombs do worms enfold. Had you been as wise as bold, Young in limbs, in judgment old, Your answer had not been inscrollâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d: Fare you well; your suit is cold. William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, 1596

79: Gold

2,8,18,32,18,1

O As a measure of purity, one carat is 24 times the purity by mass:

X = 24 Mm Mg X is the carat rating of the material, Mg is the mass of pure gold in the material, and Mm is the total mass of the material. Therefore 24-carat gold is 99.9% Au, 18-carat gold is 75%, 12-carat gold is 50% and so on.

f all the precious metals, gold is the most popular as an investment. Investors generally buy gold as a hedge or safe haven against any economic, political, social, or flat currency crises (including investment market declines, burgeoning national debt, currency failure, inflation, war and social unrest). The history of the gold standard, the role of gold reserves in central banking, gold’s low correlation with other commodity prices, and its pricing in relation to flat currencies during the recession suggest that gold behaves more like a currency than a commodity. Pure gold is very soft and is usually alloyed with base metals, such as silver, copper, platinum or palladium to strengthen it. This process alters its hardness, ductility, melting point, colour and other properties.Where gold has been alloyed with other metals the term carat (ct) is used is a measure of the purity; 24 ct being pure gold. One carat is equal to one part in twenty-four, so an 18 ct gold ring contains eighteen parts pure gold and six parts alloy material. Pure gold is measured in troy weight.1 The word carat is derived from the Greek kerátion ‘fruit of the carob’. Carob seeds were traditionally used as weights because of their reputation for having a reliably uniform weight. In fact, carob seeds have as much variation in their weights as other seeds.

Previous page: Gold Bullion at Fort Knox, US. The vaults hold 4,600 tonnes of gold.

The carat system is increasingly being superseded by the millesimal fineness system in which the purity of precious metals is denoted by parts per thousand of pure metal in the alloy.2

Top: Gold’s chemical symbol Au comes from the the latin word for gold, Aurum.

Why’d he get them? “Because of the women. They like them…

…They be like, ‘Damn’ ”

Gold has been highly valued as a symbol of wealth and success in many societies throughout the ages, due to its rarity and its appearance. It has a positive symbolic meaning connected to the values of the particular society. Gold symbolises power, strength, wealth, warmth, happiness, love, hope, optimism, intelligence, justice, balance and perfection. Great human achievements are rewarded with gold: Athletes win gold medals and trophies, award statues such as the Academy Awards, the Golden Globe Awards, the Palme d’Or are all gold plated. Gold is also associated with wisdom and fruition. A fiftieth wedding anniversary is golden, and a person’s later years are called their ‘golden years’. The height of a civilisation is referred to as a ‘golden age’. Wedding rings are traditionally made of gold; it is long-lasting and unaffected by the passage of time, and therefore symbolic of eternal vows. Gold is naturally ostentatious. Its bright yellow colour and shine attract attention. The display of wealth and success often involves the wearing of gold: In some cultural groups this display may be ‘discreet and tasteful’, in others, it is more conspicuous. Gold fronts, also called grills or golds, were first worn in the Gold Coast, Africa and Jamaica, and then later in theUS during the 1920s Jazz Age. Soul singer, Isaac Hayes wore them in the 1970s as did afficionados of 1980s hip hop culture. They became massively popular again in the mid-noughties with the emergence of the ‘dirty south’ sound, a distinct hip hop from the Southern US cities. Gold is sexy, but some people love it too much… Opposite: Gold ‘fronts’

On the 26th November 1983 six armed men broke into the Brinks-Mat warehouse at Heathrow Airport, London. They were intending to steal £3 million in cash, but once inside, they found three and a half tonnes of gold bullion worth £26 million. The gang poured petrol over the warehouse security staff and threatened to set them alight if they did not reveal the combination to the the vault. Despite numerous attempts over the years to locate the gold, a significant portion of it has never been recovered.1 In 2001 police excavated land in Kent after receiving a tip-off that gold bars had been buried there, but they found nothing. In 2007 two hitmen were jailed for the murder of George Francis, a former associate of the Kray twins, who had survived a previous murder attempt. He was the sixth person linked to the Brinks-Mat heist to have been murdered. Another two have killed themselves. In 2008 Scotland Yard detectives found six suitcases packed with gold inside a London deposit box. The Scotland Yard directorate described the find as the largest amount of unexplained gold ever found in Britain, and was estimated to be worth £8 million. It may be urban myth, but it is said that anyone wearing gold jewellery bought in the UK after 1983 is probably wearing Brinks-Mat. Top: Newspaper clipping from The Pittsburgh Press, US 1986 Opposite page: The Brinks Mat robbery as described in the Guardian, 2008

“It was a crime so spectacular it panicked the international gold market, reconfigured London’s criminal map, and left a trail of murders in a gangland feud over the whereabouts of the missing bounty”.

Some, if not all of the gold was smelted down. One of the Brinks-Mat gang members, Michael ‘Mad Mickey’ McAvoy, received a twenty-five year prison sentence. Prior to his arrest McAvoy had entrusted some of the gold to an associate Brian Perry, who recruited a notorious criminal, Kenneth Noye to transform the gold into cash. Noye had connections with John Palmer, the owner of a Bristolbased gold dealership. Noye smelted the bullion, even mixing some of the gold with copper to alter its purity and disguise its origins. A major mistake of the gang was to withdraw a large amount of cash from a single branch of a Bristol bank; an amount that meant the bank had to request additional funds from the Bank of England. This attracted the attention of the Treasury and the police. Kenneth Noye was placed under surveillance, and in 1986 police found eleven bars of gold worth £100,000 at his home. Noye was found guilty of conspiracy to handle the Brink’s-MAT gold. He was fined £700,000 and received a fourteen year prison sentence. In 2003 Blast Films produced a two-part documentary for Channel Four about the robbery; ‘Brinks Mat - The Greatest Heist’. The promotional copy described the robbery as ‘…the quintessential 80s crime when wealth was still shifted around the world in crates of bullion. It revolutionised money laundering, linked criminal networks all over the globe, and gave a murderous twist to gang warfare’.2 Although the gold that Noye had hidden was eventually recovered, three tonnes of gold is still missing.

lchemy refers to both a philosophy and an ancient practice that focuses on the transmutation of copper and other base metals into gold. Magnum opus or ‘The Great Work’, is a term which originated in medieval European alchemy that refers to the successful completion of this transmutation. It also refers to a quest for an elixir of life, and to the attainment of ultimate wisdom. It originally had four stages: Nigredo — blackening (putrefaction): corruption, dissolution, individuation. Albedo — whitening: purification, burnout of impurity; the moon, female. Citrinitas — yellowing, spiritualisation, enlightenment; the sun, male. Rubedo — reddening: unification of man with god, unification of the limited with the unlimited. Alchemical symbolism has been used by psychologists and philosophers. In the late 1920’s Carl Jung began to explore the hermetic language of alchemy in relation to analytical psychology. In his work ‘Psychology and Alchemy’, Jung offered a symbolic and psychological interpretation of alchemy as an unconscious reflection of an internal psychological process. According to Jung’s theory, if a person is in a state of deep depression, it corresponds to the alchemical stage of nigredo. They must undergo psychic processes of ‘distillation’ and ‘purification’ in order become integrated and balanced. This is ‘individuation’; a state of great peace and tranquility. Jung interprets this as the pure gold spoken of by the alchemists.

awnbroking is the practice of secured lending with personal items used as collateral. The word pawn derives from the latin pignus, meaning pledge. The contract allows the pawner to buy back items for the amount of the loan plus interest. If the loan is not paid or extended within the contractual time period, the pawned items may be sold by the pawnbroker. Unlike formal loan arrangements, the defaulted loan is not reported and the customers’ credit rating is not affected. Pawnbroking existed in Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire and Imperial China. It emerged in Europe in the 12th century in varying forms, and was formalised by merchant bankers in the Italian province of Lombardy. The House of Lombard became an established banking family in medieval England, and across Europe a pawnbrokers’ would be referred to as ‘the Lombard’. The symbol of three golden spheres originated in Lombardy, where it would hang in front of the merchant’s premises. This symbol came to be recognised as the trade sign of pawnbroking and is still used today.

Top: Neon sign advertising a pawnbrokers Bristol, 2011 Opposite: Hogarth’s 1750 print, ‘Gin Lane’ depicted the pawnbroker as prospering from the misery and desperation caused by the sale of cheap gin.

In the 17th century the Act Against Brokers was passed, which restricted the business practices of pawnbrokers who were regarded as receivers of stolen goods. A Pawnbrokers’ Licence law was passed in 1785 which further regulated the practice. The pawnbroker’s Act of 1872 amended earlier legislation and still regulates contracts between pawnbrokers and the public. In the mid-19th and early 20th centuries, Britain’s poor relied on the pawnbrokers to survive from day to day, and to avoid the fate of the workhouse. My great-grandmother lived close to the workhouse in Chapel (which is now a part of Southampton City College), and in her early life she lived in fear of ending up there.

I took my bracelet to a pawnbroker in Bedminster, Bristol, and borrowed £10 at an Annual Percentage Rate of 118.86%. The total amount repayable within six months is £14.80. My bracelet is described as: 9ct HM Curb Bracelet with 6 Asst Charms P/L & S/C. Compared to the beautiful, hand-written 19th century pledge, my A4 printout is dry and officious. It is entitled ‘Fixed Sum Loan Agreement and Pawn-Receipt regulated by the Consumer Credit Act 1974’. The reverse side is packed with legal small-print, terms and conditions. I would much rather have ‘money lent on plate’. I went back three days later and got my bracelet back for £10.75.

Left: Early 19th c. pledge from Edward Russell & Co. Pawnbroker, 13 Parade, St James, Bristol Right: My contract from Albemarle & Bond, East Street, Bristol Opposite: Charm Bracelet or Belcher, with assorted charms for sale

The current economic recession means the pawnbroking business is flourishing. Albemarle and Bond, Britain’s largest pawnbroker, last year announced a 37% rise in pretax profits to £20 million. The pawnbroker still prospers from poverty, two hundred years after Holgarth’s print! I remember my mum talking about how her gran lived in fear of the workhouse. Perhaps she had heard people around her talking about it when she was younger. Workhouses were abolished under the Local Government Act of 1929 with the emergence of the welfare state, but the threat of poverty remained. People who have spoken to me about their gold jewellery see it as some kind of surety. I imagine that my greatgrandmother felt about her gold in this way; As long as she had her gold, she had something she could sell if she needed to. It’s strange, I would never sell my bracelet, but in my mind I think, I could sell it and buy a one way ticket to Brazil. If I ever had to.

REF

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Themes & styles

101

102

harm bracelets have been in and out of fashion since the 1800s when Queen Victoria started a trend for charm collecting among the European noble classes. Her charm bracelets were adorned with fashionable beads, trinkets, lockets and jewels. Charms of the Victorian era were usually made of sterling silver and often included precious and semi-precious stones. Popular styles included hearts, lockets, coins, miniatures, and mechanical charms which featured a moving part.1 Although interest and production declined through the later part of the 20th century, there has been a recent resurgence of popularity, and vintage charms have become highly collectable. With authentic vintage charm jewellery being expensive, the fashion industry began to massproduce charm jewellery designed and produced to look authentic; cheap alloys are finished to look like tarnished silver and gold, and designs are copied from originals. Necklaces with three or four rings on them imitate the traditional practice of wearing old family wedding rings on a necklace. In the language of postmodern theory, this could be described as a pastiche, a copy of an original, relating to the increasing unavailability of an individual aesthetic, or personal style. Contemporary charm bracelets come in many styles. There are still traditional charms to celebrate special birthdays and events, and many of these are designed with a modern twist. People make their own charm bracelets from anything including buttons, old broken jewellery, found objects etc. The thing with charm bracelets is that they are very personal and personalised.

Top: Fashion magazine heralding a trend for charm bracelets Opposite: Juicy Couture charm bracelet

Many traditional charm bracelets have keys and lockets. Keys are imbued with magical powers; locking danger out or keeping prosperity in, They also symbolise spiritual enlightenment and new stages of life, and are typically given on a 21st birthday or a wedding.

103

Contemporary takes on charm bracelets.

104

105

106

Moulded gold charm bracelet by Chanel.

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The wearing of jewellery has long been a way for nomadic peoples to transport their wealth and to ensure it was easily accessible. Gypsies and travelling people have traditionally worn their wealth in the form of jewellery; gold coins with variants on the name ‘sikka’ or ‘zecchin’ (which became ‘sequin’), were produced in the Mediterranean and Middle East for centuries. These were stitched to clothes and were a practical way of displaying and storing wealth.1 People wear jewellery as a way to show status, and because it functions as a way of communicating aspects of cultural and social identity such as religion or sexual orientation. Those whose gains are ill-gotten may prefer to wear their wealth rather than deposit cash into bank accounts. In 2009, Thames Valley Police launched ‘Too much bling? – Give us a ring’, a two-week advertising campaign encouraging members of the public to report their suspicions about people who wore gold jewellery despite any evidence of a legitimate income.

Opposite and above: Displaying wealth and status in modern Romani gypsy culture.

Left: Gold and diamond turntable ‘bling’ ring.

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Jane This bracelet was made for me by Sarah Cass, who’s a Bristol silversmith. I gave her the charms from a box of junk that I had had lying around for years. The two ‘hold fast’ buttons were given to me by an old friend. They originally came from a seaman’s jacket. Sailors used to have it tattooed on the back of their hands as protection from falling overboard or dropping a line. The china doll’s head, I’m not sure where that came from, I think a friend of mine who used to dig for old bottles found it and gave it to me. An old boyfriend gave me the engraved heart and the knife! I bought a necklace in Benares in India, and the glass beads came from that. My friend Matt gave me the Buddha for a birthday present and the other things, the turquoise bead, I don’t know where that came from, I’ve had it for years. And the heart clasp. I love this bracelet because it was made especially for me with things that I had been given or found, apart from the glass beads!

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Bristol-based jeweller, Diana Porter designs and produces ‘sybils’. These pendant charms feature stylised women, each one etched with a word. Sybil is derived from the Greek word sibylla, meaning prophetess, and the ancient prophetesses were the inspiration for these charms. There are twenty-one words. The idea is to choose one that reflects an attribute that you feel you already possess, or that you aspire to. Or you can pick one from a handmade velvet bag that contains one of each sybil. The words are: calm, clarity, confident, flexibility, fulfilled, humour, joyful, listen, open, play, pleasure, powerful, responsibility, safe, secure, space, strong, sure, unafraid, vision and warm. Overwhelmed with choice, I took one from the bag, ‘vision’. How did you choose these twenty-one words?

“The Sybil, with frenzied mouth uttering things not to be laughed at, unadorned and unperfumed, yet reaches to a thousand years with her voice by aid of the god” Heraclitus, Greek writer 5BC

At the time I designed the Sybils I was very interested in spiritualism and in the womens’ movement. The words come from ideas around equality and assertiveness. Sybils are synchronistic and magical. The word forms the skirt of the female figure. I don’t know why I didn’t give them arms! I should have given them arms. Do people ask you to make new jewellery from old pieces of family jewellery? Every day! Mostly people want to re-use the stones, these are important. It will often be jewellery that belonged to people who have died. It definitely has sentimental value. A woman whose mother had died came in the other day. She wanted a ring with three interlocking pieces with diamonds made from her mothers’ wedding ring. What is the inherent power of jewellery? Jewellery is very emotive. It has incredible significance for people, and for many different reasons.

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In Greek mythology, the Delphic Sybil is said to have given prophecies at the site of Delphi.

Becky: I have five Sybils, I bought them for myself years ago. I remember being really upset because the humour one broke off, and I was thinking, ‘Oh no! I’ve lost my sense of humour!’

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love my bracelet. It holds many meanings and memories for me. It gives me a sense of connection to my family, particularly the women. It reminds me of my greatgrandmother, and of the way she kept her spirit in the face of poverty and hardship. I treasure it because she worked hard all through her life and this is one of the few things that she had for herself. It also reminds me of my mum and how beautiful she looked when she and my dad got dressed up to go out at the weekend. Because I only wear it when I go out, the bracelet reminds me of the fun of going out; the smell of perfume, cigarettes and the inside of taxis. It makes me think of good times, and I love how it jangles and glitters. I want to buy a new charm for the bracelet before I pass it on to Ariane, but I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seen one that I really like yet. Maybe I will get a little book, to remind her to read! Or a musical instrument to remind her to learn to play somethingâ&#x20AC;Ś

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From Holbeins’ Dance of Death, 1523 – 26

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There is no wealth but life John Ruskin

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Images p. 15 http://bit.ly/l2oADS p. 23 http://www.sexpistolsofficial.com p. 25 http://bit.ly/iVP8tS p. 41 http://www.amyholliday.co.uk p. 43 Alun-Jones, D. and Ayton, J. (2005) Charming ‑ The Magic of Charm Jewellery Thames & Hudson Ltd, London; http://bit.ly/mz8qrZ p. 45 http://bit.ly/lAAWQk p. 50 http://bit.ly/k57uWe p. 53 http://bit.ly/m1LBrx p. 54 http://bit.ly/lFz6gP p. 56 http://bit.ly/ihVnIx p. 61 http://bit.ly/mxNEWR p. 62 – 63 http://bit.ly/jNYP1D p. 64 http://bit.ly/jrC0O3 p. 67 http://bit.ly/k39VDy p. 68 http://bit.ly/ltMSKP p. 69 http://bit.ly/iFRALY p. 72 – 81 James, S ‘Exploring the World of the Celts’, Thames and Hudson, 1993, London p. 84 http://1.bp.blogspot.com p. 89 http://petarpuaca.rs p. 95 http://bit.ly/muomVW p. 97 http://bit.ly/luqo0i p. 102 http://bit.ly/mMqpOf p. 104 – 5 http://ny-image0.etsy.com, http://bit.ly/lRwUaW, http://bit.ly/j4v2sk, http://bit.ly/mwq5Cz, http://bit.ly/krRyRB p. 106 – 7 http://bit.ly/kCTU3j p. 108 http://bit.ly/krImMA, http://bit.ly/kzoSer p. 109 http://bit.ly/kzJ95x p. 110 – 11 http://img.coplusk.net p. 113 http://bit.ly/jSenCF p. 114 http://bit.ly/kPLzXC p. 118 http://bit.ly/juky1e Photographs pp. 26, 48, 51, 52, 57, 60, 65, and 66 by Matt Devine Photographs pp. 9 – 17 courtesy of Carole Sheppard All other photographs by Jane Sheppard

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References p. 23 1. Ahde, P. 2009. Multigenerational Possessing: Pieces of Jewellery Mediating Generations [online] available from: http://bit.ly/mIJUAG [Accessed April 2011] p.1 2. As above, p.4 p. 24 1. As above, p. 10 2. As above, p.12 p. 35 1. Ahde, P. 2008. Power Jewellery: Mediating Powers through Jewellery [online] available from: http://bit.ly/ ihohnz p.10 [Accessed April 2011] 2. As above, p.4 3. As above, p.10 pp. 40 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 41 1. Anon; 2011. Scarab (artifact) [online] available from: http://bit.ly/kNKkB6 [Accessed April 2011] 2. Anon; 2011. Apotropaic magic [online] available from: http://bit.ly/4eKID4 [Accessed April 2011] 3. Anon; 2011. Evil Eye [online] available from: http://bit.ly/mz8qrZ [Accessed April 2011] p. 43 1. Anon; 2011. Memento Mori [online] available from: http://bit.ly/jd7DP[Accessed April 2011] 2. Anon; 2011. Saint Christopher [online] available from: http://bit.ly/YbbVj[Accessed April 2011] 3. Anon; 2011. Sofer [online] available from: http://bit.ly/aGTkxe [Accessed April 2011] p. 45 1. Anon; 2011. Superstition [online] available from: http://bit.ly/18KKxF [Accessed April 2011] 2. Anon; 2011. Touch piece [online] available from: http://bit.ly/fkalUO [Accessed May 2011] p. 50 1. Anon; 2011. Life Guards, (British Army) [online] available from: http://bit.ly/22ccCw [Accessed April 2011] 2. Anon; 2011. The Life Guards [online] available from: http://bit.ly/jUamcF [Accessed April 2011]

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References cont. p. 53 1. Ward, H. From London Coffee Houses to London Clubs [online] available from: http://bit.ly/ mCtHyR [Accessed April 2011] 2. Ellis, M. (2004) The Coffee House ‑ A Cultural History. Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London P117 p. 56 1. Anon; 2011 Toby Jug [online] available from: http://bit.ly/38G7es [Accessed April 2011] p. 61 1. Cooper, G. 2007. The New Forest [online] available from: http://bit.ly/kvbScc 2. Walmesley, A. 2008. New Forest Deer [online] available from: http://bit.ly/iWAbz8 p. 64 1. James, S (1993) Exploring the World of the Celts’ Thames and Hudson, London pp. 67 – 68 1. Anon; Aphrodite, Eros, Anteros, Himeros, and Pothos: A Greek Love Squad [online] available from: http:// bit.ly/mKVp6q [Accessed April 2011] 2. Anon; 2011. Piccadilly Circus [online] available from: http://bit.ly/hh4sar [Accessed May 2011] pp. 72 – 77 1. Pickford, I. (1991) Jackson’s Hallmarks’ Antique Collectors Club Ltd. Suffolk, UK pp. 11 – 21 pp. 87 – 89 1. Anon (2011) Gold [online] available from: http://bit.ly/18I2WO [Accessed May 2011] 2. Anon (2011) Carat (purity) [online] available from: http://bit.ly/cR8aMM [Accessed April 2011] pp. 90 – 92 1. Anon (2011) Brinks-Mat robbery [online] available from: http://bit.ly/mufnB2 [Accessed April 2011] 2. Blast Films (2008) Brinks Mat - The Greatest Heist [online] available from: http://bit.ly/kgDAre [Accessed April 2011] p. 94 1. Anon (2011) Alchemy [online] available from: http://bit.ly/y5BaN [Accessed May 211]

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References cont. p. 100 1. Anon; (2011) Pawnbroker [online] available from: http://bit.ly/batIfC [Accessed May 2011] p. 103 1. Anon (2011) Charm bracelet [online] available from: http://bit.ly/lOvR1C [Accessed May 2011] p. 108 1. Anon (2011) Sequin [online] available from: http://bit.ly/9mJGFK [Accessed April 2011]

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