Monday, June 28, 2010

Why Is Celtic Jewelry Making Significant?

By Wesley J Werner

It's very difficult to create anything that has any significance if you don't properly understand the historical background of the subject you are working in. Celtic Jewelry making is no different, so let's discuss a couple culturally interesting facts about before we get into making something.

Celtic jewelry making has been known to exist since the first century B.C. The Celts strongly believed in reincarnation and so these influences have been incorporated into their jewelry making. Celtic symbolism is all about the immortal as well as the priceless gift to human civilization.

Like:

The Latin Triquetra: also means "three-cornered" and happens to be a symbol for the Holy Trinity.

The greek symbol Triskelion: which means "three-legged." If you look closely, the knots are made to look like three legs running. It has been known to symbolize man's progress.

Another interesting thing the Celts did was the concept of the five fold. The fifth fold was an intersection of 4 others. Spring, summer, fall, and winter made up the fifth fold of transitioning.

The infamous Crosses: represents the connection of heaven and earth. This was considered to be our link between the physical and spiritual.

Some typical design ideas the Celts used are spirals, interlaced spirals and knots. Bronze is an excellent metal to start practicing with when starting out.

Check out sample designs and patterns available for Celtic jewelry making and choose which among them you would like to follow. It is good to start with the simpler ones and look for designs that have personal meaning to you. This way, you are keeping the tradition of Celtic jewelry making.

Practice your desired pattern on a piece of paper. Graphing papers are good tools for Celtic jewelry making to exact the sizes of your curves and distances.

Make sure you pick the right thickness of wire for your project, thin wire for rings and bracelets and thicker for the brooches.

Determine how long the wire is and cut it vigilantly. Remember to always add about 1 to 2 inch extra from your desired length for additional adjustments. The wire length would rely on the kind as well as the size of the jewelry you are planning to make. There are some charts available online that you can check in case you are a bit cautious.

With your left hand, grip the wire using chain nose pliers, then round and curve the wire to your desired pattern. To make smaller loops, use round nose pliers after which, curve the wire using the tip. Bend it further back to make larger loops. Fold the wire, going around the gems and stones to lock into their place. Switch back to the chain nose pliers so you can bend the wires with angles.

When all of your bends are done fasten them down with metal clasps or simply form a hook at the end of your wire and use that to secure your jewelry.

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