Humans have adorned their bodies since the beginning of time, making jewellery one of the most ancient forms of decorative arts.
Dating as far back as the paleolithic period (c.25,000-18,000BC) and using materials such as shells, feathers, bone and teeth, jewellery has been used to embellish, enhance or distinguish the wearer. Often symbolic, jewellery has also defined cultural, social or religious status within a community.
The use of basic materials such as shells and bone later progressed, with the discovery of gold and other precious metals such as copper, gold, platinum and silver as well as precious and semi-precious stones. The creation of jewellery also evolved, with more and more precise lapidary and refined metal-work techniques. Now, we produce intricately hand and machine crafted pieces and the advent of technology has allowed for a great reduction of what once would have been laborious hours spent crafting by hand.
On Wednesday 22 May, we welcomed very special guests Kirsten Albrecht and Dat Van from Kozminsky who joined us for an exclusive centenary event, The Art of Adornment.
Guests enjoyed a glass of French champagne and listened as Kirsten and Dat shared their knowledge of jewels and adornment from Georgian to Victorian eras, through to Art Deco and contemporary styles, tastes and craftmanship.