Caffre
This has been done before in another form … but it bears repeating
for as far as jewelry goes … the descendants of the Caffre
predominate all other archetypes.
It was dead and its body was being held by its tail in the air …
suspended so that its nose barely touched the ground. The penalty
invoked by the prince to the man who had killed it–reason unknown–
was to blanket the creature with enough wheat to cover its body from
the tip of its nose to the end of its suspended tail … a hefty
price for the poor fellow who was trying to eke out a meager
existence off the land… This direct descendant of the Caffre cat of
Egypt … our modern day tabby if you will … had been revered and
reviled through the ages.
One can not offer enough insight to the cat … because–I believe–
no other creature has been more replicated in jewelry. Think of any
famous designer … and ask yourselves if there is even one of them
that has not made a piece of feline jewelry. I suspect that those of
you with contrary natures will probably come up with many who have
not. But that’s not the point. The point is that there is truly no
point … and that I am leading you all down a primrose path in
order to make the point–albeit a shaky point–that jewelers make
cats. Of course … you may all say … hey, Benjamin … what’s the
point? To which I shall respond: Good point! But I digress.
The origin of the cat may well be over 36 million years old … but
our personal relationship with it started about 5000 years ago in
Egypt … and from that moment to this very day … the cat was
here to stay. There was Felix and the Cheshire and Sylvester. There
was Puss-in-Boots and Piewacket and the witches’ companions. And
there were surely many others whose names I can not think of at the
moment. I would welcome input for my next cat-tail … or is it
cat-tale?
Fido … who may well be our best friend and our buddy to the end
… was never and never will be as revered and idolized as was our
friendly feline. To the Egyptians … he was protected by law from
injury. When our supple friend died … he was embalmed with the
finest linens the family could afford and placed in mummy cases made
of precious materials.
In the Orient … Burmese cats were kept as oracles in Burmese
temples. Seers of the future … they figured in the belief in
transmigration of souls. Then there’s the story of the Manx cat …
and how it lost its tail.
Warriors fighting the Irish who had invaded the Isle of Man began
killing the local cats for the bushy tails … placing said tails
upon their helmets as decoration. Observing this slaughter of her kin
… a wise old she-cat climbed to the top of a high mountain to give
birth to her next litter. To ensure the safety of her kits … she
bit off their tails at birth … ensuring they lived full lives. And
so we now come to a brooch by one Ren� Boivin … a gem-set lion
clip brooch pav�ed with yellow and white diamonds with baguette cut
ruby and sapphire and emerald mane and emerald eyes set in 18 karat
yellow gold. Its estimated worth is over $40.000. Take a look and
let me know if you think it’s the stunner I think it is.
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 left side menu till you get to the area that says
Tidbits Graphics … and then click on the link that says: Feline
… where you’ll see an image of said beastie in gold and diamonds
and precious stones.
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: webmaster@tyler-adam.com