Archive:Jewellery Guide

by Jamie Hall - Contemporary and Medieval Metalworker

Safety

Live roleplay involves physical combat. You should take the same precautions you would for a contact sport.
Jewellery should not have spikes or sharp edges.
Avoid brittle items, like glass, ceramics and some plastics.

Safety comes before any other consideration when wearing jewellery; most jewellery is safe to wear, but injury to yourself and others can happen if you wear inappropriate items. Live roleplay is a physical hobby, so you may wish to take that into consideration when wearing body piercings, long necklaces and fragile items. If you are producing jewellery for sale, make sure you comply with legal regulations which cover metals such as lead, nickel and cadmium.

As with armour and other clothing, jewellery should not have spikes or sharp edges, particularly when worn as a ring.. Claw-set stones should not protrude too high above the finger, and the claws should be burnished down to prevent them from catching. Try rubbing them on your lips – if they feel sharp, they could cause damage to fabric, latex or skin.

Glass was used in some periods to make rings, bangles and tableware. Some modern glass will be strong enough, but you are best to avoid brittle items. Anything that can shatter on impact can harm the wearer or other players. Likewise, hollow or fragile items are more likely to get damaged during a fight.

Historical “Authenticity”

The purpose of this guide is to help you choose jewellery which evokes a medieval fantasy setting.
Empire LRP is set in a fictitious world, which draws on many sources, including real world history. These historical sources make ideal inspiration for costume and characters, but they do not need to be followed for the sake of "authenticity".
We can make use of the look of medieval jewellery – modern methods give a shine that can look gaudy next to "medieval-ish" costume.

Because the world of Empire has some real world sources, it's possible to make use of art history when choosing or making jewellery. However, we are not bound by the real world - a brief description of medieval art history terms is included for those who are interested, but it is not essential reading; film, television and computer games provide a range of excellent "medieval-ish" jewellery to draw inspiration from.

There is no requirement to use styles and methods from the past. Where they are particularly useful is the "finish" of the item – that's the way the surface looks when the item is completed. Electric polishing motors are commonly used in today's jewellery workshop, and they provide a fast way of creating a highly polished, mirrored surface. This can look conspicuously modern in a fantasy setting, and it can actually be easier and cheaper to use archaic methods such as scratch-brushing and burnishing. These can often be applied to modern jewellery to improve its appearance.

Some nations, particularly Dawn and Urizen, may suit a highly polished finish. Nations including Urizen and Highguard, are harder to assign to a historical period, and the best inspiration may be found in the media, or even 20th Century styles.

General Notes

Men's and women's jewellery – be aware that Empire LRP has no gender discrimination.
Medieval jewellery was intended to be seen in sunlight or firelight – what looks bad under an electric bulb may look fabulous in the field.
Items with lots of contrast and detail will usually have the best look.

Aside from hair pins, hair nets and tiara's, there are few types of jewellery that men didn't wear during the middle ages. There is no gender discrimination in Empire LRP, so you should wear anything that is appropriate to your costume.

Before the introduction of gas and electric lighting, jewellery would only be seen in sunlight or firelight. Sparkle is important, but the whole object does not need to be bright; ancient artisans didn't have access to high-speed polishing motors, so while they could achieve a highly polished surface, it was a slow and laborious process. Modern items may actually need dulling down a little, which you can do with simple tools.

Historical designs tended towards the complex; even when simple geometric patterns were used, they tended to be in combinations, to create more elaborate items. Detail is better than plain surfaces – texture, engraving, filigree and gemstones were all used to break up the surface. The high points of the metal could then be cut or rubbed to make them sparkle, while the lower surfaces retain their matte finish. Multiple copies of objects, like coins or badges, don't need to look exactly the same – small variations in colour and finish actually improve the look of groups of objects.

Types of Jewellery & Decorative Metalwork

Rings
Chains of Office
Belt Buckles
Brooches
Pendants
Torcs
Earrings
Bracelets
Belts
Bangles
Hair/hat pins
Reliquaries
Necklaces
Badges
Tableware
Crowns
Tiaras
Hair nets
Aiglets

What size?

Jewellery should be comfortable to wear – you should make sure that it fits you.
Necklaces and bracelets are easy to measure, but rings are more of a challenge.

This can be a difficult question. Some items, like brooches and pendants, can be worn regardless of your size, but rings and chains, in particular, come in a wide range of sizes, and if you don't normally wear jewellery, it can be daunting. You'll find metric and imperial measurements alongside arbitrary lettering – that's how it is in the trade, and I won't make an apology for it here. If you can't try the item on, adjustable jewellery is one option – chains that can be fastened at different lengths, and rings and bangles that can be bent to fit the wearer.

Chains are the simplest – a very short necklace would be 16” - any smaller than that would be a very tight fit for most adults. Women wear most necklaces as 16”, 18” or 20”, with anything above 24” being extremely long. Men usually add a couple of inches to those lengths, but tend not to wear longer necklaces. Chains above 30” are generally meant to be worn doubled, but there are some safety issues for the neck if you do this. Bracelets are much shorter than necklaces – they are usually around 7.5” for women, and 8.5” for men. To work out what size you want, use a piece of string around your neck, or a tape measure.

Rings are the other thing that you are likely to need a measurement for, as you need to measure your finger. A jeweller will have equipment for measuring these sizes, so if you are able to, it may be a good idea to visit a jeweller to get your fingers measured (many jewellers will only provide this service if you are a customer). UK ring size is measured in letters, but you can try measuring the diameter or circumference of your finger or knuckle (whichever is thickest), and use the table on this page. Be aware that you'll only have an approximate idea from that table, and the only way to be certain about the fit of a ring is to try it on!

Bangles are much like rings, but they fit the wrist. They can be measured like a bracelet, but people have differently shaped wrists, and there are several types of bangle, including open torc, continuous push-on bangle, or hinged.

You might also need a measurement for a belt or a crown, but a tape measure will usually be adequate for that.

Metals

Gold and silver are the best known metals for jewellery, but bronze and pewter are good alternatives.
Steel and titanium were not used for jewellery in the past, but if they can be made to look appropriate with the right design and finish.
Processes like electro-plating can be used to make items look more precious.

Gold and silver have been the metals of choice for thousands of years. Ductile and malleable, they are perfect for making small items like jewellery. Gold will usually be outside the budget of the larper, silver will sometimes be affordable. Copper and its alloys – (bronze and brass) have been used for thousands of years for jewellery and tools. Bronze and brass can make good "synthetic" gold if they are treated right, and can be plated to look like gold or silver. One particular alloy is called Pinchbeck – it's a brass alloy that looks a lot like gold. Pewter and other tin alloys were, and are, used for casting objects like badges and brooches, but less common for rings and chains due to softness of the metal. Leaded pewters are best avoided due to their toxicity, particularly old items with obvious lead oxide corrosion.

Steel was not worn as jewellery until much later in history, but is perfectly acceptable so long as the finish isn't too modern. It can be hard to take the polished shine off steel, because it is so hard. Modern metals like titanium are also fine, so long as the design and finish are appropriate to the setting. As with steel, these metals are primarily for industrial use, and are hard to work with.

Electro-plating can be used on copper and other base metal items, to make them look like silver or gold. This is a great way of reducing the cost of jewellery, Very thin plating will wear through fast, particularly for jewellery that might rub up against metal armour. It also makes it harder to physically or chemically improve the appearance of the item, because there is a risk of wearing through the plating. You should use the services of a professional plater, as many of these processes are toxic. In the past silver and other metals were sometimes "gilded" with gold and mercury to improve their appearance. Modern electro-plating does not give quite the same appearance, but it can be rubbed with a brass brush, for a more appropriate lustre. High-carat electro-plating is best, as it is a good colour match for the pure gold gilding done in the past.

Gemstones

Gemstones have always been valued for their colour and physical properties. Modern gemstones are usually cut with facets – these reflect the light, and in the case of diamonds, the facets are calibrated to the refractive properties of diamond, ensuring maximum reflectivity. This was not the case in the past – stones were cut using hand-held tools, and the facets were large, simple shapes. Modern synthetic and simulation stones can also look “too perfect” - a bit of imperfection will improve the appearance of the stone.

Normally, the live roleplayer won't be looking at precious stones like diamond and emerald, but many of the semi-precious stones are more eye-catching, they have a wider range of colours, and their low cost makes them affordable. Synthetic and simulation stones are also available, and there are glass and plastic alternatives.

There are a few stones that are good to look out for:

Pearls are very medieval – if they are irregular pearls, they will look more interesting than the spherical pearls that you see in modern jewellery.
Cabochon stones are smooth rounded shapes that were very common in the past, as they were easier to polish than faceted stones.
Intaglios are designs cut into the stone in counter-relief, for example many seal rings are made this way. Cameos are the opposite, cut in relief so that the design rises out of the stone.
Simple faceted stones – many Victorian cuts are appropriate for a medieval-ish setting. Rose, simple and swiss cuts, for example.
Enamelling provides a lot of colour for very little cost. Some of the brightest colours are best avoided.
Beads have been used throughout history, and are appropriate for any of the Imperial nations – an Urizen mage and their necklace of spheres, or a Navarri collecting the bones of barbarian Orcs. You can make your own beads easily enough.

Chains

Thin and hollow chains should be avoided, as they are fragile, and don't hang well.
Anyone equipped to make chain maille can produce chain jewellery.
Pendants can be worn to enhance the chain.

Very thin chains can only be made by machines, so they have a factory-made look, which is less than ideal. They can be fragile and unsuitable for a vigorous activity like larp. Likewise, hollow chains are best avoided. They also ride up around the neck due to their light weight.

Pendants that hang loose on a chain are good, because they will stay in position if the chain is moved. The pendants and chains can then be swapped around for different characters. To do that, the fittings on the chain need to be smaller than the pendant loop, so that the pendant can be taken off the chain. As an alternative to chains, pendants could be worn around the neck on fabric or leather thong.

With a pair of pliers and a bag of "jump rings" (split rings), a wide range of chain patterns can be produced. Precious metal jump rings are available from bullion dealers like Cookson. Base metal rings are available from other suppliers. If you are equipped to make chain maille, you are equipped for making jewellery chains. Two pairs of smooth-jawed "parallel" pliers are the best tools for this task, as the rings don't slip around when you are gripping them. Aluminium is probably best avoided, as the surface won't "age" in a way that looks natural for precious metals, and it is a very light-weight material, so it won't hang well.

Making Jewellery

Manufacturing jewellery can be expensive and difficult to learn.
There are various methods which are more accessible, including chain-making and working with beads.

Jewellery manufacturing is an ancient craft, first done with primitive tools. As a rule, the simpler the tools, the more skill required to use them, while modern equipment can be prohibitively expensive for the non-professional. For example, heating metals like silver and bronze requires high temperature torches or furnaces. Pewter can be worked at much lower temperatures, achievable in the home, but you still need safety equipment. This limits the range of techniques that can be used by the amateur.

There are a number of alternative ways of making jewellery, which do not require high temperatures and expensive equipment. Bracelets and necklaces can be done by anyone who can make chain-maille. More ambitious projects could use techniques called Loop-in-Loop and Trichinopoly. Beading and wire-wrapping tutorials can be found online – some of the designs can look conspicuously modern, so think carefully before undertaking a project using beading and wire-wrapping, but simple bead necklaces and bracelets can be ideal jewellery for live roleplay. In that case, the choice of beads will usually be more important than the method used.

Non-metal jewellery is another option – a leather pendant could be marked with a Rune, and hung on a fabric necklace, for example. Nations like the Navarr are well-suited to these kind of items.

Reconditioning Jewellery

If jewellery has a modern finish, it may be possible to alter it using an abrasive and a tool called a burnisher. A very soft abrasive like a brass brush or "scratch brush" is ideal; courser abrasives can damage your jewellery.
Tarnish, oxidation, enamel or niello in recessed areas improves contrast, and can make the piece look older.

You may already own items of jewellery – if they have a high sentimental or financial value, you may not want to use them for live roleplay, but many items of costume jewellery are ideal. Don't worry if they don't look new; modern jewellery can look too new for a medieval fantasy setting, so a bit of tarnish or oxidation may enhance the item.

If they are particularly tarnished, it's ideal if you can keep the tarnish in the recessed areas, and brighten up the highlights. Two tools are particularly useful for this – a brass brush (or scratch brush), and a burnisher. The brass brush is used as a gentle abrasive; it's harder than the non-ferrous metals used for most jewellery, but only just, and while it easily removes the oxidation layer, it won't do much damage to the metal itself. You can get similar brushes in steel, but this will be too hard, and can remove detail from the design of the item.

It's usually best to avoid completely removing oxidation – the high points on the metal should be fully cleaned, leaving the recessed areas darker. This enhances the appearance of “relief” or depth on a ring. This doesn't work with a plain object like a wedding ring, but most other designs will benefit from it.

The type of brass brush you are looking for will have very thin bristles about 3cm long, with smooth ends. A stiffer or sharper brush will make the item look too “scratched”. Aim to brush the item in one direction, and spend a minute or so working on a small piece like a ring. The style of brush used in industry is a long rectangular wooden handle, with bristles along half the length; other styles exist, but this type lets you use long strokes of the brush.

If you have a bench grinder or Dremel-style rotary tool, you can get brass brush attachments to fit them – take care to hold the item safely and securely, and avoid using the device at high speeds. The process will work well even at a lower speed. Take particular care with electro-plated items, because powered brushes can rip the plating off surprisingly quickly.

Once you have a surface you like, the final step is to burnish the item. The purpose here is to polish the highest details on the design, using a polished tool called a burnisher. This is a very ancient method, and its so simple that you can use the back of a stainless steel kitchen knife. Using some pressure, you need to drag the burnisher across the surface of the metal. This will naturally pick out the very highest parts, and you are not aiming to burnish the recessed areas. Using this method gives a sparkling effect that will be particularly obvious in sunlight, and gives you historically authentic “bling”.

With a newer item, there may be no oxidation, and you may wish to apply a chemical agent to oxidise the surface. This can be done with products like “liver of sulphur”, but please take care when using any chemical agent. The item must then be scratch-brushed and burnished to bring out the colour. Another option is to use painting techniques to improve the contrast of the item, but this should be done carefully, ideally using a matte rather than gloss finish. If you have very deep recessed areas, you can mix a colourant with epoxy resin, fill the area, and then grind the resin flat – the effect can look like enamel or, in black, like a technique called niello.

Art History & Archaeology

There is an untapped wealth of information about the jewellery and metalwork of the past. Although re-enactment websites are a great place to start, they often don't give a very broad view of the material culture of the past. On the other hand, art historians and archaeologists don't aim their work at the costume maker, so it can take a bit of practice to use the excellent resources that are available on the internet.

The first thing is to familiarise yourself with some of the terminology – this will help you understand books on the subject, and it also is very useful when using search engines on the internet. Here are a few terms:

Metalwork – For reasons that escape me, if you search for "jewellery" or "jewelry" (the US spelling) you don't get a lot of search results. This is because technical studies are more focused on the process than they are on the form – jewellery is just one way to use the metal.
Non-Ferrous – although gold and silver are most commonly associated with jewellery, the skills required are similar for precious metals, for copper and it's alloys, and for tin and pewter. For this reason, a lot of archaeological finds will specify tools as being for non-ferrous metalwork, as it isn't always clear precisely which metal they were used for. Non-ferrous means "without iron".
Material Culture – This basically means "stuff people had". It's a very distinct archaeological approach, but it tends to put objects before people, so it's perfect for finding out about historical jewellery. It's also useful for other media, like ceramics and textiles.
Liturgical – throughout history, religions have been a major patron of decorative and fine art. Liturgical metalwork is a great source for ideas, but remember that a lot of the religious imagery won't be appropriate for Empire LRP, or other fantasy games.
Secular – a rather broad term, this is everything that isn't religious in nature. A lot of tableware is included in this category, and many items of jewellery, although it's common to find pagan and Christian symbolism hidden in the designs of apparently secular jewellery.
Fine Art – usually refers to single exceptional pieces of work, often made to the precise requirements of a patron. This is not quite the same as the definition used in modern universities.
Decorative Art – often made to a very high artistic standard, the decorative arts are those which are produced in larger numbers, or using repetitive methods – manufacturing pottery is decorative, as are stone carvings like gargoyles, and most pieces of jewellery fall into this category.

It may also be useful to familiarise yourself with some of the names for different periods in Art History. These often, but don't always, match with the periods of social history. It's worth noting that there can often be significant overlap of art historical periods. Here are just a few of the styles:

Migration Period (Europe, 300-900) – This is a very broad term, used to describe the movement of various Germanic tribes, as the Roman Empire was beginning to decline. It reflects a Europe that is turning it's back on the Roman Empire, and it subverts the norms of Roman styles. It developed into various other, local styles, which include Insular and Viking. There are, broadly speaking, three styles, defined by a researcher called Salin. These are:
- Style I – Sometimes called Tiersalat or Animal Salad, this style consists of stylised animals which are chopped up into different parts and used to fill spaces in objects which somehow manage to subvert and echo the norms of Roman art. In theory, it is quite a brutal style, but the pieces themselves are often very beautiful.
- Style II – this is best known in Insular art, and it consists of animals which are still stylised, but are now smooth and sinuous, and often connecting in repeating patterns using interlace (sometimes called knotwork). Christianity is a strong influence on the later forms of this style,
- Style III – the art of the Vikings and other northern European cultures, this emerges later, and contains many of the sinuous and interlaced features of Style II, but with a complex and more terrifying appearance. Dragons and sea creatures are more common, perhaps befitting the sea-faring nature of the Vikings. Unlike the British Isles, Scandinavia was slow to embrace Christianity, and this is reflected in the pagan symbolism of their art
Insular (Britain, 400-1000) – This is a broad term for the styles used in the British Isles in the post-Roman period, until the Norman conquest of England. It has its origins in pre-Roman Celtic styles, and also the "barbarian" art of Migration-era Europe. There are stylistic links with Viking art. Probably the best know examples of this style, in metal, are the Sutton Hoo and Staffordshire Hoard finds. The Book of Kells and the Lindisfarne Gospels are fantastic examples on paper. Styles I and II are very prominent in Insular art, but it also has a strong Celtic influence; for example, the Hunterson Brooch has Celtic imagery hidden within it. The style is a British continuation of the Migration Period art brought by the Germanic tribes that settled from the 5th Century onwards.
Byzantine (Eastern Mediterranean, 400-1450) – This is a true continuation of Roman art, but much evolved by differences in population between the Eastern and Western empire when they split. They maintained many of Rome's Classical styles, including the primacy of the human figure in images, but the Greek-speaking population had their own artistic traditions. Through trade, their metalwork was known across Europe, and Byzantine art was a major influence on the Romanesque style, which is a key visual style in Medieval Europe.
Romanesque (Europe, 1100-1300) – Although it does not stem directly from Roman art, the Romanesque style was part of a move back towards Roman civilisation, which eventually culminated in the Renaissance. As well as drawing on Europe's own past, it was strongly influenced by the Byzantine art of the Near East, but seen through the lens of the "barbarian" styles that dominated after the fall of the Roman Empire. The first Crusade was probably a factor in the Byzantine link, but be aware that there were many trade and artistic links before that time; Carolingian and Ottonian art laid the ground work for Romanesque, and already had a strong Byzantine influence. Repeating patterns of acanthus leaves are characteristic of this style, and there is a move towards figurative naturalism that is rarely seen in earlier post-Roman Europe. The Romanesque style remained a key part of European art for several centuries, eventually being replaced by Gothic art, and having a strong influence upon it.
Gothic (Europe, 1200-1500) – Stemming from the Romanesque style in France, Gothic sees a return to the primacy of the human form. Geometric forms and animals move to the background, and the level of figurative naturalism is very high; it can be hard to tell if some of these pieces are Gothic or Renaissance, and the former is a major influence on the latter. Starting slightly later, International Gothic is the term is for the pan-European adoption of this style.
Renaissance (Europe, 1400-1600) – In the popular imagination, the Renaissance is 15th - 16th century Italy. In practice, the style is pan-European, beginning in northern Europe. There are strong elements of the Classical art of Greece and particularly Rome, which fitted well with ideas of an innovative post-Medieval society. The Catholic church had always played up its links to Imperial Rome, and wealthy collectors sought out Classical artefacts for their collections, just as collectors do in the modern day. However, their awareness of history was more limited than our own – it was common for High Medieval works to be attributed to more ancient artisans, and the figurative naturalism that we associate with the Renaissance can often be seen in the Gothic and even Romanesque styles that preceded it. That's not to say that the Renaissance was not an important period – studies of the human body and other natural forms did leap forward in this period. A look at the sketches of Leonardo Da Vinci reveals a style that can seem strikingly modern. Be aware that the end of the Renaissance is explicitly outside the brief for Empire LRP.