Venetian jewelry; history.

 

 

Venice, a long time ago, appeared different from today's equilibrium, much more populous, a great center of culture and civilization and a forge of arts and crafts that still today stand out for their particularity and skill.

Among many arts, a prominent place belonged to gold and silverware. The Venetian artisans obtained excellent results in this field, and those of the state da Terra and that of Mar were no less. They are responsible for a refined and vast production, of which much has been lost after the fall of the Republic (colossal destruction due to the French occupation), but much still remains. It is a relatively little known heritage, especially as regards artifacts intended for private and non-religious uses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It makes us reflect on the importance that craftsmanship had for Venetian and Venetian life and society. In Venice (and on the model of the capital also in the other major cities) the artisans were gathered in guilds or arts. After a period of training as a boy (two or three years), the young man became a worker, and after a few years, after passing a test technical, was declared master builder and could set up on his own.

Very famous Venetian creations were, and are: amber necklaces, of ancient Paleoveneta memory, coral, ivory, gold and mother-of-pearl cameos, Filigree rings, precious stones especially lapis lazuli and turquoise, without forgetting the red coral and the iconic pearl necklaces that adorned the florid breasts of the courtesans ... Even if they were forbidden to wear them

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The "Catenelle Manin", whose famous Venetian manufacture that was exported to every part of Europe where it was known as the Venice chain, is still manufactured today in some remote regions of India.

The "Moretti Veneziani" are perhaps the most representative jewel of craftsmanship and jewelery of the Serenissima Republic. Its roots date back to the 1500s and over time it has become the symbol of the Venetian goldsmith tradition. The name and shape derive from the word MORO which in Venetian meant the Saracen pirates who at the time carried out raids on the Dalmatian coasts, dominated by the Republic. In Venice, Moretto took on a further meaning: no longer just an amulet to exorcise the dangers used by women in the coastal territories, but a symbol of well-being and wealth designed to celebrate the supremacy of the Republic over the Mediterranean seas. There are morettos in the most diverse shapes and uses: as a brooch or as a pendant, as earrings or tie clips, with ebony and with stones.

The Rosetta, Queen of Glass Pearls. It was invented in Venice in the 15th century even if glass beads were already invented by the Paleoveneti.
Why this name? The name Rosetta was used for the first time by Marietta Barovier, daughter of the more famous Angelo, associating the design of the glass barrel with a rose. It is usually a twelve-pointed "design", similar to stars or petals that almost always has the same color combinations: white, blue, white, red, white and finally blue. The oldest models consist of seven layers. In the 19th and 20th century models, there are six or four layers.