Beadshaper
Beads and Jewelry, Art and Fashion
Please visit my GALLERY for fabulous fashionable handcrafted lampwork glass beads, pendants, and wire wrap jewelry. If you would like made to order glass beads or beaded jewelry, please contact me through Guest Book
BEAD HISTORY .
History of Lampwork Glass Beads, Gemstones, and Wire Wrap Jewelery
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I would like to share with you my interest in the history of glass beads, gemstones, and jewelry. From time to time I will add a brief summary of some aspect of the subject.
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THE HISTORY OF COLORS Color is important in art, beauty, and fashion. It certainly is paramount in the beauty of glass beads and jewelry. So I am now beginning a series of entries on the history of various colors. Before we start, lets talk about what color is. Colors are the way we perceive light. Black is the absence of light. All of visible light together is white. The 3 basic colors that make up white light are red, yellow, and blue. The other colors are combinations of those 3 basic colors.
As for color in glass beads, the ancient Egyptians made colored glass by mixing various metals and minerals with the glass. The art spread to Phoenicia and Mesopotamia. Colored glass became popular in Europe during the Middle Ages because of its use in making stain glass windows in churches. The art of making colored glass became particularly developed in Venice. Colored glass remains popular today in glass beads and beaded jewelry.
So. let's go to the color blue
Blue History
Blue was once considered a hot color but is now considered a cool color. It is found in the flags of many countries and is the color of blue jeans. In the Turkish culture it is the color of amulets worn to ward off the Evil Eye. It now is often associated with sadness as in one is feeling blue. There is a type of jazz music which is known as the Blues.The Egyptians created blue pigment from cobalt thousands of years ago and used it in glass making. It was subsequently used by other ancient civilizations. Later it was perfected in glass making in 18th Century Europe. Azurite was discovered as a source of blue pigment in ancient China and spread to other lands. It became popular as a color in medieval European paintings.Indigo was developed as a blue dye in ancient India. It spread through the Far East and across Asia to Greece and Rome where it was given the name indigo because it came from the East.Ultramarine was a pigment first developed in Afghanistan during the Middle Ages and later was used in Italian Renaissance paintings. It was very expensive because it was made by grinding up lapis lazuli semiprecious stone.The first manufactured blue pigment was Prussian Blue which was created in Gerrmany in the 18th Century.
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To see examples of present day blue lampwork glass beads enter “blue” in the Search box at the bottom of the page.
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