A digital archive showcasing the extensive collection of jewellery and adornment images shared on the former Ethnic Jewels Ning site over the years. These images have significantly enriched discussions on cultural adornment and its global dispersion.
You need to be a member of Adorned Histories to add comments!
Request your copy of our newsletter.
If you would like to receive our newsletter
Comments
The Admiralty Islands are part of Melanesia, in Oceania (the Pacific). These were used by the Matankol people, and this item dates to the 19th/20th c. It is owned by the South Australian Museum, Adelaide, which generously allowed my wife Truus to use a considerable number of photos for her book. This is a valuable object, and was so recognised in the culture. It is an example of traditional beadwork, using a comparatively small number of trade beads (considered prestigious objects from the West) along with a great many beads made, with great labour, from shells: those are the ones that collectors worldwide are now particularly keen on, which makes an object like this expensive. (For that matter, shells were also valued by the islanders themselves.) We only have an early example composed of trade beads - and even that is highly collectible. Particularly, also, because it is part of a set (including armbands etc).
it looks gorgeous! I had the idea (upon a first glance), it could be a beautiful bag! So it is not, after I read all the text, but still very beautiful! the book of your wife must be wonderful, if one is interested in the objects of this part of the world. It is very fascinating, even for people who have no idea of the Pacific cultures like me.
Eva, thank you for your comment! My wife's book contains more objects which are NOT from Aboriginal Australia and Oceania than those which are. Even so, it is unique in containing literally the ONLY comprehensive discussion of Australian Aboriginal adornment ever, and it has a larger number of pages devoted to Oceanic adornment than does any other book (including the few books which are concerned with Oceanic adornment only). So, yes - and this is widely recognised - the book has major strength in the way it exposes readers to Australian and Oceanic Adornment. But as e.g. beads and ethnic jewellery expert Robert K. Liu recognised, other parts are also strong: he commented on the Chinese section containing many pieces not found in other books, drew attention to a most extraordinary Indonesian piece, etc. All in all, about 60% of the book (which consists of 420 big pages, with more than 700 photos) deals with adornment in Asia and Africa (mostly north Africa). Some people buy the book just for the Australian-Oceanic part, but many more buy chiefly or only because they are interested in the other chapters. And of course quite a few buy because they are interested in ALL ethnic adornment, and those, of course, are the people for whom we particularly produced the book. Still, we realise entirely that not all people have the same interests, and we are very happy with the reactions. To get an idea of the range covered, and the photos etc, please go to www.ethnicartpress.com.au, the website for the book.
@Thank you Joost, I just looked quickly at the links. I see it is also on Sarah's website. I will look at it again, when I have the leisure. Thanks a lot.
Thanks, Eva. Yes, the cover of the book can be seen also to the right of our posts here, and there both the colour and the dimensions are pretty right. It measures 16 x 14 inches when you look at it head on; it is slightly more than 1.5'' thick; and it weighs nearly 4 kilograms, which is fatally heavy for the cost of shipping to other countries than Australia! A beautiful object, and most people fall in love with it even for that reason alone when they see it - but, in retrospect, it has been a most impractical publication for us to undertake!