Essay --

The use of a necklace to adorn oneself can be traced back through the ages, despite having a sole purpose to be aesthetically pleasing and to enhance an outfit, they have been used to demonstrate our individuality; and to show individuals expression of non-conformism in an attempt to distinguish oneself from society (Menninghaus, W. in Robert, K. 2011). Necklaces have been used as complex visual decorations to convey various meanings; cultural, social status to dictate wealth to others, it was even normal at one stage for wealthy ladies to wear more than one necklace at any single time to signify her wealth and class (McCarthy, M). They can be worn to confirm love and loyalty, and in the case of lockets even store our most treasured mementos, such as photographs and locks of hair. For example, in the Zulu tribe, girls often communicated their feelings to boys through jewellery making; they would thoughtfully and delicately make the jewellery, choosing motifs with great care to subtly convey their feelings. (Vanhaeren, M. 2009). By studying jewellery not only can we identify people’s personal tastes, but we can travel back through the ages, especially by studying the materials in which they are made. The earliest known necklaces were discovered to be made from teeth, bones and such materials that were readily available (Gere, C and Rudoe, J. 2010), today however, the variations are never ending, made from varying materials, such semi-precious stones to gold and silver to more affordable materials, such as plastic and glass beads; with a vast amount of designs, from simple and sophisticated to elaborate and over the top. Jewellery can be passed down through family generations, or given as a gift to a loved one. Necklaces have a hig... ...o bring luck and good fortune for the rest of the month. However, they have not always been viewed as lucky creatures, for example, in the nineteenth century fishermen would refuse to speak the word while out at sea. Whilst in Devon to see a white rabbit would indicate a forthcoming death in a person that was currently ill (Russell, H. (1925). Through the Celtic tribes it was noted that it was taboo to eat rabbit meat, quoting to do so ‘was like eating one’s own grandmother’ (Ezpeleta, A. 1996) this shows us the importance of rabbits and how highly they were regarded throughout history, whilst elsewhere it was considered that eating rabbit meat would cause beauty and vitality. The Celtics also believed that rabbits burrowed underground in order to communicate with the spirit world, and that they could carry messages from the living to the dead. (Ezpeleta, A. 1996).