The Patron Saint of Jewelers is Eligius

The patron saint of jewelers is Eligius, under whose protection of the French jewelers and goldsmiths founded a guild in the thirteenth century. Eligius was born in the sixth century, and he lived in the seventh. As a child Eligius showed evidence of possessing great manual dexterity. As a young boy Eligius was an apprentice to a medalist, and he never lost taste for that type of work. Working as a medalist for the royal treasurer he soon gained royal favor. He gained some of this favor by designing and building a jeweled throne for King Clotaire II. As a reward for all of his fine work he earned the title medalist to the king.

Eligius was not only a medalist, he was trusted with some political matters and he also founded a few churches and monasteries. In 640 Eligius was elected Bishop of Noyon. In most cases a goldsmith was better known for his work of a large kind. Cups, vases, reliquaries, thrones etc, were of more importance and value than small jewelry.

Cellini began his life as a painter, he was also a pupil of Michael Angelo. Cellini became better known as a goldsmith later in life. Cellini was very skilled technically, but he was also a great writer. Cellini was a jack of all trades and his talents were endless. Cellini even served as a soldier for quite some time. While Cellini was serving he was accused of stealing some of the jewels from the tiara of Pope Paul III, which had been entrusted to him for repair, and was imprisoned in the Castle of St. Angelo, in Rome. Cellini later escaped from the fortress and fled to France. He put himself under the protection of Francis I. The king was quite fond of Cellini, and gave him the Tower of Nesle as a workshop, and often visited him their. After Cellini, lots of Italians, French, and Spanish followed his lead.

After Cellini technical schools began popping up in England. Under the watch of competent masters, they in time supplied the most valuable of effects. These days hand crafted pieces are losing ground to cheap cast work. Most of the public does not know the difference between a hand crafted piece and a cast, so we get cheap cast work instead of expensive hand work.

Tattooing was the first form of personal adornment, and still is with some savage tribes. Jewelry is relatively ancient as well, in Ecuador a very ancient skull was discovered possessing gold discs set in the front five teeth. Golden necklaces with small settings, with variously cut beads of all kinds have been discovered in ancient Egypt. Turquoise was one of the first gems ever used and revered in jewelry. Flint arrowheads and teeth were probably some of the first talismans ever worn. Ancient amulets and jewelry in general usually represented real and natural things in life.

Archaic remains were discovered in Rhodesia in the early 1900’s, and it was obvious that these people had some considerable skill in metal working, especially in gold. The chief interest of the find were the beads made of gold. Some of these beads were facetted, while others were geometrically designed. This was before the time of soldering, so objects were pressed. Wire-work was also found in a plentiful supply.

The faceting of stones is believed to have originated in India. Diamonds are believed to be the first facetted stones. Diamonds were rubbed together to form facets. Stones were faceted long before they were cut. Many old fine stones have been cut to reveal their true brilliancy. The cutting makes lose of substance, but gain in luster.

Diamond cutting was discovered in 1475 by Louis de Berghem. He found that he could use diamond dust to cut diamonds. Berghems invention caught on quick and was made use of. Now irregular and flawed stones could be cut into perfect specimens. The diamonds natural shape lends itself admirably to the way that it is cut.

Diamonds are extracted from the earth in several different ways. They can be mined, found in river beds, mountainsides, and just about anywhere. South Africa’s clay is riddled with diamonds. Usually the diamonds are found in cylindrical beds going straight down. The ground is drilled and excavated deeper and deeper to recover the diamonds. The face of the country is more or less covered with enormous pits. The deeper the diamonds are discovered, the larger they have been. It is a very difficult job, and the deeper the earth is drilled, the hotter the conditions.

Diamonds are the hardest substance known to man kind. Although they are the hardest substance, they are easily chipped and flaked. The larger the diamond is, the more likely it is to chip. A large diamond can be easily ruined by falling to the ground, or if jarred. When cutting a stone the original shape is preserved as far as possible. The truer the shape of the natural stone, the more brilliant it is when it is cut. The brilliant cut is a type of diamond cut that is held most precious. The brilliant cut consists of thirty two facets above the girdle, and twenty four below. That is a total of fifty six facets in all. The girdle on the brilliant cut is usually left rounded, but all of the other edges are as sharp as they can be made. Large diamonds often have small black points of uncrystallized carbon within them, and these specks usually lessen the value of the stone.

Opals are the only precious stones found in the form of fossils. Opal forms most commonly in shells and teeth. They are extremely rare, but they make exquisitely beautiful pieces. It is believed that the deposit of opal has taken place in hollows left by the disappearance of a shell or tooth, so they are casts, and not the conversion of one substance to another.