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Our jewelry tells a lot about us, because it is a visible sign of our faith, social circle and even sexual preferences…
But in addition to the obvious signals that jewelry sends, they give out the secrets of our unconscious. An ethnic bracelet, a diamond ring, an antique cross, a string of pearls: modest or flashy, jewelry speaks of our personal and family history, our type of femininity and our tastes. Let’s try to decipher this brilliant language.
Since women began to choose their own rings, earrings, pendants and brooches, their jewelry has taken on a new meaning. Today they can, for example, emphasize the breadth of our views or reflect a momentary mood. The absence of strict rules has freed both jewelry and those who wear it. A pendant in the form of a cross or a Star of David does not necessarily indicate religious beliefs, and not everyone will guess about a thin white metal ring that it is an engagement ring. Elena, a successful publisher, does not like gold: “It symbolizes wealth, and I have no desire to advertise my wealth.” But she loves her Berber silver bracelet. He helps her feel more free. “We wear not what we have to, but what we want, thereby confidently declaring who we are,” says psychoanalyst Virginie Meggle (Virginie Meggle). “And if we are in agreement with ourselves, then, as a rule, we choose jewelry that can express different facets of our personality.”
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Erotic accessories
Jewelry not only characterizes us. Earrings refresh the face, a brooch draws attention to the decollete, a bracelet to graceful wrists, rings give a special sensuality to gestures. “Highlighting the skin, emphasizing the silhouette, jewelry reveals our femininity,” says Virginie Meggle. A pearl necklace or a ring with a precious stone, given to a girl on her coming of age, is a kind of initiation rite, an indication that she has become an adult. “Whether we like it or not, every time a woman receives jewelry as a gift, this is a sign that her femininity is appreciated,” the psychoanalyst is sure. Jewelry is something that others can admire, unlike those “precious” parts of our body that we hide from prying eyes. A father, husband or lover, presenting a woman with a precious ornament, shows her his wealth, strength and … power over her. Is it because Richard Burton gave Elizabeth Taylor the largest and most expensive stones that he considered her the most beautiful woman in the world? Perhaps jewelry enhances erotic attraction, but they do not make a woman a woman. A lady studded with diamonds does not become more feminine, and the rejection of jewelry may not be a sign of denying one’s own feminine nature, but a way to express it differently.
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spiritual support
Jewelry is dear to us as a memory or a tribute to tradition. So, Maria brings something from every trip. “This stingray leather bracelet is from Thailand, the earrings are from the Vilnius gallery of a local designer, and the enamel ring is from Rostov,” listing what she is wearing, she seems to be sorting through happy moments in her memory. “I have a traditional Sardinian wedding ring on my ring finger. There I met my husband,” says Sophia. She’s going to wear it for the rest of her life. Inna does not part with a bracelet with the silhouettes of her daughters. It’s kind of a family tradition: “Grandma had a ring with five sapphires for the number of her children, and my sister wears a necklace with medallions engraved with the initials of her sons.”
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Many of us have jewelry that came by inheritance. But we are not always happy with it. “After my mother died, my father gave me her engagement ring. It is beautiful, but I hardly wear it, because I feel strange with it … As if I am no longer me, ”Ekaterina admits. “Nothing surprising,” says Virginie Meggle. “Other people’s jewelry can carry messages that are not intended for us.”
Talisman for good luck
For centuries we have believed (and continue to believe) that jewelry can heal and protect. Beads and pendants made of precious and semi-precious stones, baubles from Buddhist temples, charms and other amulets improve health, bring good luck, soothe or give strength. Attributing unique properties to our talisman, we endow it with special value. Denis does not wear jewelry, but for several years he has not taken off a simple ring received from one monk. “I was that “lucky one,” the man grins. – More than once I got into accidents, injured my knee while skiing, broke my nose three times. But since I started wearing this ring, the accidents have stopped.” Jewelery really gives us confidence that nothing bad will happen to us.
Jewelry and men
Giving jewelry, men demonstrate their wealth and power. In the past, for the same purpose, they wore them themselves. Once upon a time, jewelry was intended exclusively for the holders of a high social status of the male. These insignia also served for protection: the crown protected the head, the breast decoration blinded the enemies and stopped the arrows. The French kings, and then the entire Western world, stopped wearing them when the favorite of Charles VII, Agnes Sorel, demanded jewelry for herself. At the beginning of the 1968th century, jewelry reappeared in the men’s wardrobe – on cuff buttons, tie pins and belt buckles. Since May XNUMX, everything has changed again. Nonconformists began to wear jewelry in protest: punks – rings and piercings, hippies – beads and baubles. Homosexuals have won the right to an earring in their ear, and the Goths have won the right to skulls. It seems that at the beginning of the XNUMXst century the spirit of protest is still in the air. And rappers are hung with gold and jewels, like knights of the new time. O. M.