KoKoCheriÉ says: KNOW YOUR GEMSTONES

Many precious and semiprecious stones are used for jewellery. Among them are:

Amber

Amber, an ancient organic gemstone, is composed of tree resin that has hardened over time. The stone must be at least one million years old to be classified as amber, and some amber can be up to 120 million years old.

Amethyst

Amethyst has historically been the most prized gemstone in the quartz family. It is treasured for its purple hue, which can range in tone from light to dark

Emerald

Emeralds are one of the three main precious gemstones (along with rubies and sapphires) and are known for their fine green to bluish green colour. They have been treasured throughout history, and some historians report that the Egyptians mined emerald as early as 3500 BC.

        Spanish emerald and gold pendant at - Victoria Albert Museum

Jade

Jade is most commonly associated with the colour green but can come in a number of other colours, as well. Jade is closely linked to Asian culture, history, and tradition, and is sometimes referred to as the stone of heaven.

Jasper

Jasper is a gemstone of the chalcedony family that comes in a variety of colours. Often, jasper will feature unique and interesting patterns within the coloured stone. Picture jasper is a type of jasper known for the colours (often beiges and browns) and swirls in the stone’s pattern.

Quartz

Quartz refers to a family of crystalline gemstones of various colours and sizes. Among the well-known types of quartz are rose quartz (which has a delicate pink colour), and smoky quartz (which comes in a variety of shades of translucent brown). A number of other gemstones, such as Amethyst and Citrine, are also part of the quartz family. Rutilated quartz is a popular type of quartz containing needle-like inclusions.

Ruby

Rubies are known for their intense red colour and are among the most highly valued precious gemstones. Rubies have been treasured for millennia. In Sanskrit, the word for ruby is ratnaraj, meaning king of precious stones.

Sapphire

The most popular form of sapphire is blue sapphire, which is known for its medium to deep blue colour and strong saturation. Fancy sapphires of various colours are also available. In the United States, blue sapphire tends to be the most popular and most affordable of the three major precious gemstones (emerald, ruby, and sapphire).

Turquoise

Turquoise is found in only a few places on earth, and the world’s largest turquoise producing region is the southwest United States. Turquoise is prized for its attractive colour, most often an intense medium blue or a greenish blue, and its ancient heritage. Turquoise is used in a great variety of jewellery styles. It is perhaps most closely associated with southwest and Native American jewellery, but it is also used in many sleek, modern styles. Some turquoise contains a matrix of dark brown markings, which provides an interesting contrast to the gemstone’s bright blue colour.

Some gemstones (like pearls, coral, and amber) are classified as organic, meaning that they are produced by living organisms. Others are inorganic, meaning that they are generally composed of and arise from minerals.^[13]

Some gems, for example, amethyst, have become less valued as methods of extracting and importing them have progressed. Some man-made gems can serve in place of natural gems, such as cubic zirconia, which can be used in place of diamond.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewellery

The History of HandMade African Jewellery - Beauty & Glam - Bea-D-azzliÑ

A little history with love from KoKoCheriÉ :

Recognised for its beautiful natural colours, strong shapes, detail and spiritual significance, handmade African jewellery remains stylish and highly sought after all over the world.

                                           Randille Warrior

Jewellery from this continent began thousands of years ago in Egypt, and over the years evolved from beads crafted from eggs and other simple materials to working with metals, stones, glass and other materials that symbolized wealth and spiritual standing in a tribe or African community.

Early History:

                    Nyala Tribe - Mali (an example of African craftsmanship)

The earliest handcrafted beads found in Africa date to more than 75,000 years ago. Creating jewellery hundreds of years before their counterparts in Europe, the Middle East and America, African artisans get the credit for producing the world's first jewellery.

                          

Egyptian Beads:

Egypt was the first country to produce a large variety of beads, with beadwork in Egypt dating back to 2200 B.C. Using various natural materials, artisans carved beads not only for necklaces, but attached beadwork to decorate linen and papyrus as well as belts, aprons and sandals. Egyptians produced jewellery using a technique that threaded single beads together by hand rather than using a loom. This handmade process made each jewellery piece different from the next with great attention to colour, design and durability.

15th Century:

During the 15th century, artists in Nigeria (then called the Kingdom of Benin) developed beads made of stone. At the bequest of Oba Eware the Great, the ruler of Benin, craftsmen and women carved stone beads for the royal court. According to the Trade Beads of Africa website, stone beads were considered so precious and important in the Benin kingdom that no chief was allowed to visit Oba (the king) unless he wore bead necklaces; if he lost them, he could be punished by death. The king's beaded wardrobe developed with new varieties of beads and jewellery up to the 17th century, when the royal court wore costumes exclusively made of coral and stone beads including skirts, shirts and crowns.

Bumi Tribe - Ethiopia (example of beautifully made traditional pieces)

European Trade:

When European explorers and traders arrived in West Africa in the early 15th century, they noted an abundance of gold jewellery, beaded necklaces and bracelets worn by all of the African people.

           - Gold, Metal, Beaded Jewellery pieces - Exquisite

Europeans bartered with Africans for glass beads in exchange for incense, ivory, tortoiseshell, rhinoceros horn, palm and coconut oils, and gold from other regions of the world.

 

Cultural Symbolism:

  According to the Black History Pages, a website describing African and African-American traditions, Africans wore beads to express rank, stances on religion, politics and artistic attitudes, and also used them as currency. Cowrie shells--small, smooth, freckled shells--were the most popular currency in Africa. Egyptians regarded the shells as magical agents and used them when bartering with foreigners. Archaeologists have excavated millions of them in the tombs of the Pharaohs. The Europeans were especially astonished that the Africans preferred cowrie shells to gold coins. Valued for their durability and their shape (thought to symbolize female fertility), owrie shells have a long history in African trade and jewellery-making.

 

Materials Used:

African artisans first used animal teeth, shells and eggs to create necklaces, crowns, bracelets, rings and so on. Other natural materials developed into jewellery include bronze, copper and gold as well as precious and semiprecious stones such as turquoise, lapis lazuli, sapphires, rubies and emeralds. While diamonds were plentiful in the country, Africans typically did not value them as much because they were colourless.

 

Interesting Facts:

Archaeologists have found beads and beaded necklaces buried with kings and chiefs in ancient African graves. Owning and wearing old African jewellery is believed to provide hope, wisdom and well-being to its owner.

Read more: The History of Handmade African Jewellery | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_7229222_history-handmade-african-jewelry.html#ixzz1t3ohnqGA

             ............ Let us all Bea-D-azzliÑ - Proudly African ..............

Bea-D-AzzliÑ African Designers

1.)Brand - Christie Brown
Founder - Aisha Obuobi

 Is a Ghanaian based luxury women’s clothing/fashion brand:

"A Luxury Fashion Brand Celebrating a Fabulous Fusion of Timeless Style.."

Abrand whose aim is to satisfy the urge "of that modern woman who seeks a true taste of Africa". Their aim is to infuse a modern and distinct twist into the use of traditional African print, making it acceptable the world over; to allow women the world over to experience the culturally rich and opulent side of Africa without having to compromise their personal style, way of life or culture.

Christie Brown was founded in March 2008 and has since gone on to win the several global awards; The Emerging Designer of the Year Award for the year 2009 at the inaugural Arise Africa Fashion Week in Johannesburg, South Africa. Christie Brown was also the only Ghanaian designer chosen to showcase in the Arise L'Afrique- a- Porter, in Paris as part of Paris Fashion Week in March 2010. At the 2010 Africa Economic Forum hosted by Columbia University, Christie Brown was invited to sit on the panel for "African Fashion Going Global"; a discourse on making African Fashion a recognizable global industry.

           Alicia Keys for Vibe Magazine in Christie Brown Strand necklace!

With many magazine features to boast of(Arise(UK),Canoe 53 Sails, Black Hair(UK), Destiny(SA), Sawubona (In flight magazine for SAA) , Aisha Obuobi, founder of the label was listed as one of the women set to make headlines in 2010 in a feature published in the international edition of Glamour magazine. http://christiebrownonline.com/
Check out her facebook page as well.

2.)Brand - Shourouk

Founder - Shourouk Rhaiem

"It began when she saw her first embroideries on the Galliano catwalk fall/winter in 2007."

Shourouk’s Spring/Summer 2012 collection of colorful and sassy necklaces have been showcased in Jean Paul Gaultier’s haute-couture shows and blockbuster films. .

haute-couture shows and blockbuster films. .

Working method:

"First of all, I like to be surrounded by beautiful objects, I collect books, images, vintage headpieces, I always bring something back from my trips. It can be indian bangles I bought on a market in Bombay, or vintage carafes from Thailand. Starting from this, I manipulate my materials, I do some sketches but it’s more about playing with the crystals. A collection always  starts from a new technique which is driving the creative process, for exemple we’re now making our own colored crystals or we’re finding different ways to bride a friendship bracelet. At the end, a piece is finished is when the embroidery is done, when I know there is not one crystal I would like to move."

 Shourouk is of Tunisian origin, she is having great success around the world: Sarah Jessica Parker wears her jewellery in her new movie.

Inspiration:"I get inspired by many things, borned in Paris, I feel like a true parisian girl, I like the classicism of the city mixed with the big melting-pot of cultures you find in each area. Also, my studio is next to the , the contemporary art museum, this is my area, I find a lot of my materials there and I like this edgy atmosphere.

VougueTalent: Elisa Pervinca Bellini

Published:

02/22/2012