A Red Jasper Horse Head
Prior to his crowning…the king-to-be sloughs off his robe. He
stands naked. He looks at the white horse…then gets down on his
knees and begins to crawl toward the mare as if he were her foal. He
begins to bathe and drink the broth of the mare. And then he eats her
flesh. This, my friends…was the required rite by the ancient Irish
prior to the coronation of their new king.
Throughout history and mythology…the horse has played a major role
in the life of man and gods. Empires were won by nomads who had
superior strength because they had mastered the taming and riding of
horses. Those who were able to fight on horseback were unstoppable. Of
course…when tanks and jet planes came along…all this changed.
Mythologically speaking (is there another way?)…the horse
symbolized chthonic forces when ridden by the devil. To continue with
the dark side…the four horses of the Apocalypse were
Famine…Death…War… and Pestilence.
And now…for our segue of the day. Let us speak…shall we…of
Jasper…a gem of many colors…ranging from red to yellow to brown
and green and blue. The magical properties of this stone are endless.
Did you know it prevents hemorrhaging? Yes it does. In ancient times,
before the advent of planes and cloud seeding…Jasper could bring on
the rains. This is very important if you happen to be a farmer… or
if you’re tired of beer every day. Carve a lion or a an archer on a
piece of jasper…and wear the resulting amulet…and you have the
cure for poison and fever. Not bad…eh wot?
Jasper…by the way…also cures the insane. Forget psychiatrists…
forget sanitoriums…forget shock treatment and medications. “To
avoid disaster/get a little Jasper.” In Exodus…the breastplate of
Aaron was said to have Jasper in it. This stone my friends…has
biblical history to it.
Did you know the horse was the steed of the sea-gods? To leave the
nether-world for a bit…the horse was also recognized as a symbol of
power and superior intelligence. When Buddha left his home…he left
it riding a white horse. Mastery of the horse implied mastery of
emotion.
We segue again. Paris. I don’t know the year. A jeweler sits at his
bench. He has some gold. He has a cabochon emerald. He has diamonds
and hematite beads. What to make…what to make. A frog perhaps? Or a
snake or a bird or a dragon? Or…or…a horse? By Jove. The jeweler
slaps his hand on his knee. He’s inspired. He will make a
necklace…and he will carve the Jasper into the head of a horse. Is
it a wonder then… I ask you…after all this stuff about horses and
Jasper …that Chaumet …Parisian jeweler to the elite…chose this
animal as a subject for one of his creations? It’s a beautiful site
to behold. Talent…true talent is at times to be…if not
venerated…at least adored.
For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits…may I
direct you to my home page at www.tyler-adam.com where you will
scroll down the table menu till you get to the box that says
Tidbits…and inside the box where it says Tidbit Graphics…click on
the link that says: Horse…where you will see a rendering of our
Jasper steed necklace by Chaumet.
And there ya have it. That’s it for this week folks. Catch you all next
week. Benjamin Mark
TYLER-ADAM CORP.–Jewelry Manufacturers
Tel: 1-800-20-TYLER
E-Mail to: webmaster@tyler-adam.com