An arresting piece of jewelry: Golden ball and chain
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Talking about all jewelry is difficult, because it exists in so many forms. A satisfying definition must include Cartier arm rings, plastic bracelets, carven bone in stone age burial mounds, the punk’s safety pin, and the Pope’s tiara. (Etc)
Jewelry can have practical purpose, say in the form of a clasp or a belt buckle, and it will often have economic value. But its core function, what makes jewelry “jewelry”, is, I posit, that it is a thing whose function primarily (or maybe just substantially) is to function as a marker of identity, to make its wearer appear a certain way to the surrounding world and to the wearer him- og herself.
In this context, Northern Europe, circa 2024. Typically: beautiful, glamorous, sophisticated, wealthy, powerful, of high status.
But this kind of pretence, narcissism … is dangerous, as countless myths, proverbs, and religious texts tell us.
He who desires the world’s admiration is its prisoner.
Even the most beautiful and glamorous will either die, og grow old and ugly and then die. No matter how much wealth or power one accumulates, death will take it all.
This is an attempt at what might be called anti-jewelry jewelry: Jewelry that A gold-plated ball with inset stones weighing approximately 2.5 kg.
Use: This piece is obviously impractical, since limiting the wearer’s freedom of movement is a central point. But it can actually be used: The wearer can remain stationary, for example at a reception. The chain is also long enough, and the ball light enough, that it can be lifted and moved. You can also drag the ball behind you, like a prisoner on the run.
It is tempting to believe that this, our, time is particularly narcissistic, particularly deeply concerned with status and beauty, particularly focused on the admiration, envy and desire of others.
What is certain is that humans are social beings, intensely concerned with their place in hierarchies. The fact that our closest relatives, chimpanzees, gorillas and other primates, navigate and maintain the same types of hierarchies suggests that this has been the case for millions of years.
