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 Obtaining
the correct time, today, is as easy as looking at your iPhone
or your wristwatch. We are a society possessed by time! I often
wonder at the fact that time is everywhere but we seem to have
so little of it. Our ancestors dealt with time differently than
we do today. Tasks were done within the amount of time they needed.
Artisans worked until the piece was complete, time not an issue.
People gathered for Church, meetings and appointments, work,
meals and visiting using the sun, and later tall clocks, to approximate
the time.
View
the full necklace.
It wasn’t
until the 16th century that small clocks, known as watches, could
be carried around on your person. These watches were quite large,
worn on chains around the neck or on a girdle (a form of chain
belt) around the waist. Watches became a status symbol of wealth
and authority, being a prized possession of their owners. The
earliest watches were poor timekeepers, however, by the 17th
century great changes were made in their movements, further improving
performance. Known as Verge Fusee’s, these watches could
now be made much smaller, hence the name “pocket watch”.
By the 18th century, pocket watches were much more accurate and
were becoming readily available to the middle class. Artisans
and watchmakers worked together to make accurate, key wound,
pocket watches enhanced with beautiful dials, gold and silver
cases, enameled images and gemstone work, making pocket watches
small works of art.
“It’s
About Time!” is my tribute to the pocket watch. This “sautoir
style” necklace ends with a “stylized” pocket
watch. The necklace portion of the design consists of strips
of Peyote stitch, some solid and some with “windows”
that link to gem encrusted pivot point embellishments, adding
flexibility.
The pocket watch
is made using a metal frame that has a resin-coated image of
an original 18th century watch dial on one side. The frame is
encased in seed beads then embellished with crystals. My variation
of the watch stem and bow is a bail that is embellished with
a set CZ.
A Peyote stitch
key hangs at the ready waiting to wind our pocket watch. The
key is 18th century in style with a floweret encrusted end set.
Skill level: Intermediate to advanced.
This is a 2-day
workshop.
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