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 Colonial
households had an hierarchy of who was in charge of what in a
household. The man of the house was in charge of providing for
his family, expecting his house and home to be his “castle”
as it were. The lady of the house was in charge of the rearing
and caring for the children, making sure that the house and gardens
were run properly and that the household staff were trustworthy,
hard working and efficient.
Beyond the duties
that we currently consider needed for caring for a home, the
running a colonial household was a full time job and needed many
hands to provide food for the table, fabrics for clothing and
bed linens, knitting and mending stockings, making clothing,
weaving blankets and educating the children, to mention only
a few of the many duties.
Most households
had theft problems and since items such as jewelry, bed linens,
tea and coffee, sugar and liquor were expensive, they were usually
locked up with the lady of the house being the keeper of the
keys. The lady of the house would hold all keys to household
chests and trunks with the hired help asking for access when
needed.
 The
Keeper of the Keys is the second key in the Keyed Up series documenting
the use of keys in history. The three parts of a key are represented
here with a stylized bow, shaft and bit. This little beauty uses
an oval stone bezel set with beadwork to create the “bow”
of the key. The “shaft” has an opening that holds a
set 4mm CZ ending with a set stone on the end cap. The “bit”
also has a set stone nestled inside beadwork to lend cohesiveness
to the design. The bail and beaded jump rings lead to a simple,
but effective, strung necklace chain making a stunning necklace
for The Keeper of the Keys.
Note: The key measures 3"
long and 3/4" wide at the widest point
Skill Level: Intermediate to advanced
This is a 1-day
workshop.
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