Theme in Jewelry…Story of Gold.
Theme: The time…195 million years ago…before the history of
mankind began about 9000 years ago…before the advent even of
Neanderthal man about 50,000 years ago…before all this… going
back 195 million years…one of the most colorful creatures that
would one day become the theme for our piece of jewelry began its
ascent out of the muck and mire of primordial time.
Gold: In the past…not quite as far back as the beginnings of our
creature…gold of the land was almost exclusively used for the
making of jewelry. Today…with the advent of the technological
boomLuddites not withstandinga comparatively small amount (45
percent as of the mid 70’s) is used for jewelry. The rest my
friends…is for industry.
Theme: A small, vulnerable, reptilian type creature needs to escape
the dangers of a ground living existence. It takes to the trees. How
come we didn’t do that? Weren’t we small and vulnerable too? Oh
yeah…I forgot. We had brains and thumbs. What a combination. Back to
our creature. Our Theme Thing. Adaptation began its work. As our
reptile swung from swaying branch to swaying branch…it developed a
grasping footI wouldn’t mind having one of thoseand its claws
began to enlarge…and it’s forelimb began to elongate…and its eyes
began to enlarge in order to afford better vision. If any of you are
beginning to think “monkey”…don’t forget the claw part here.
Gold: Today it is irreverently used by industry. Example: Outer
space. The USS Enterprise is still only a fictional vehicle. But
Edward H. White… astronaut…is real. He steps into the void. He is
in touch with the universe and the very elements of creation. So…the
navel cord binding our spaceman was made of…what? What was it made
of? Yes folks. You got it. Give that man a prize. Gold. Yessiree. That
royal metal which was used in the making of our Theme Thing.
Theme: So…is swinging in the trees enough? Hmmm? Not for our little
critter. It creates for itself a new novelty. It lets its scales
grow… longer and longer…at first to provide better insulation
against the cold…and then…to fly. It’s a lizard…it’s a
croc…no…it’s a boid! Fact of it all is…feathers and scales are
more similar in structure than dissimilar. Of course…it can’t fly
yet. Its jaw is too heavy. It’ll nose dive…and crash. So it develops
a beak. And its bones begin to hollow out.
Gold: Back to our astronaut. What do you think his helmet was made of?
Yes. You ma’am. Care to take a stab at it? What? Galvanized gold you
say? Bingo! Give that lady a prize too. Everybody gets a prize.
Anyone care to guess what material was used to line the atomic
reactors of the space ship. Do I hear gold? Wow mi amigos… you all
know your stuff so well. It’s incredibobble. Do we use radioactive
gold too, you ask? You betcha we do. Physicians use it to examine
organs. Is there an end, you ask? Is there an end to the abundant
uses of this metal?
Theme: And so its feathers grow…and it takes to the air. How come we
couldn’t do that too. Weren’t we also small and vulnerable?. I
mean…a thumb is nice. It’s a good thing to have. But would it have
hurt to have had wings? I ask you. And as it takes to the air…some
of its feathers take on glorious colors…and 195 million years
suddenly fly by…and we are in the present…as is our little
reptile…fully developed in its new form…as a parakeet.
One last word here. Gold is not limited to industry or the artistic
creations of our world�s finest craftsmen…but it has also made its
way into literature…and is used as a theme by none less than one of
the most noteworthy of them all…Aldous Huxley. The art of the
jeweler lives on as Huxley writes: “The products of the goldsmith’s
art are numinous by nature. They are at the very essence of every
mystery…”
For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits…may I
direct you to my home page at www.tyleradam.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: Parakeet…where you will see the graphic of our
most beauteous brooch.
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