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Pearl as Symbol (Syberg) 

Nederlands  

Objective

   Jewels are old as the hills. Or, say, symbols are as old as human thought, which show up in adornments.

The difficulty remains to distinguish between the symbol and the thing, between the object and the subject. What came first? The chicken or the eggs. Do I experience something in the environment because it is really there, or do I perceive it there because I consciously experienced it?

Subjective

   Throughout the whole history of mankind we find jewelry, and we think it has something to do with social communication.

Harappa.com/indus quote Ref. 1

   Harappa jewels, Indus (Ref. 1) © Harappa, Ref. 1

This collection of gold and agate ornaments includes objects found at both Mohenjo-daro and Harappa. At the top are fillets of hammered gold that would have been worn around the forehead.
The other ornaments include bangles, chokers, long pendant necklaces, rings, earrings, conical hair ornaments, and broaches. Such ornaments were never buried with the dead, but were passed on from one generation to the next. These ornaments were hidden under the floors in the homes of wealthy merchants or goldsmiths. (Ref 1)

On the site of harappa.com we find the most wonderful objects, made with great skill by human beings who lived some ten thousand years ago.

Harappa quote, Ref. 2

   Harappa jewesl, Indus (Ref. 2) © Harappa, Ref. 1

Fired steatite was an important material used in many different types of Indus jewelry. Steatite beads are found in all four necklaces in the center of this collection of jewelry from Harappa and Mohenjo-daro. (Ref. 2)

  Burned steatite: talc, very soft and workable before the thermal treatment, hard as porcelain after burning, and possibly coated with glaze in all sorts of colors.

Indus culture, pearls quote, Ref. 3

   Harappa jewels, Indus (Ref. 3) © Harappa, Ref. 3 

Faience beads of different shapes and colors were found in the bead pot (Ref 4). Some of these appear to be imitations of the natural stones; deep azure blue lapis lazuli, blue-green turquoise and banded to imitate banded agate. The red-brown glass bead (Ref 5) is in the center. (Ref. 3)

 

All these things were made as an imitation of the real work. Children's toys obviously also were made of steatite and faience.

Why wearing jewels at all? This things get in your way when working, are fragile and cost a fair amount. So, because ornament came into being and obstinately persists everywhere in the world, some benefit might be under the hood. Earlier we mentioned the special color of precious stones, the rarity of the shape and the extreme durability of gold or gems, although diamond, the indestructible, may be destroyed by the touch of a little hammer, and gold melts quite easily. Gems are only symbols for the treasures we think they are, and yet in many ways they are highly priced and mounted in all kinds of jewels, as if they were magic. Even children are irresistibly attracted by them.

We tend to search in the social nook. Impressing and attracting attention. Power and sex. Stated in a coarse way, or carefully examined with a microscope. Interesting material to further think about.

References

  1. Harappa jewels, Indus culture: http://www.harappa.com/indus/79.html

  2. Steatite jewelry, Harappa. Zie http://www.harappa.com/indus2/123.html

  3. Pearls, Harappa. Zie http://www.harappa.com/indus2/index.html

  4. Harappa, 173 : http://www.harappa.com/indus2/173.html

  5. Harappa, 175 : www.harappa.com/indus2/175.html 
 

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Site Last  update 21.01.2007