Tag Archives: suffragette jewellery

Small victories & Suffragette earrings

08 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by in amethysts, Pearls

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“Yes!” I cried, as I practically pounced on a string of green tourmaline slices.

I suddenly felt a twinge of guilt. Had I knocked anyone over in my race to grab the elusive green stones? Would there soon be warning signs posted around the Tucson Gem Show preparing merchants for some overzealous customer: “Beware: Woman, 5’8”, auburn hair, crazed look in her eyes, salivates at sight of green tourmaline”

In my defence, I’ve been hunting for months for more of these tiny green sticks, in the hope that I could continue making one of my most popular designs: the Suffragette earrings.

ACD-E-Suffragettes

Those are white baroque pearls topped with a tutu of green tourmaline and amethyst.

Last year, I happened to read about Suffragette jewellery. In the Edwardian era, the lobbyists wove their campaign colours – purple for dignity, white for purity, and green for hope – into everything. These women were flying their colours in the jewellery and ribbons they wore, as well as on the signs and pamphlets they carried.

I thought it was a wonderful idea – subtly subversive — and it immediately inspired my own Suffragette pieces. There’s also a pendant.

ACD-N-SuffragettePendant

I was delighted when they turned out to be a hit, too. That is until I ran out of green tourmaline slices.

Here’s the hazard of working with natural gemstones. I travel to trade shows and buy the pearls and semi-precious stones that inspire me. The stones themselves suggest the designs, so sometimes I don’t know exactly what I’m going to make with them until I start playing around at my workbench.

But when that vein of a mine is tapped out, a stone is gone. So it’s not always possible to find high quality gems cut just the way you want for a particular design. I kicked myself for not buying more green tourmaline when I saw it. But how was I to anticipate that I was going to go all Emmeline Pankhurst this year?

So I made some variations on the earrings. I think they’re lovely too.

ACD-E-BaroquePearlIolite

It’s a similar look with iridescent peacock pearls. The baroque pearls are crowned with sticks of amethyst, cubic zirconia, and iolite, which reflect the shades of purple and lavender in the iridescent pearls.

But for clients who wanted Suffragette colours, it’s just not the same.

So now you see why I’m gleeful at the sight of those tourmaline slices I found in Tucson. It’s pure luck that I found them too. There are literally acres of merchants selling gems in Tucson.

All of which is to say, if you wanted Suffragette earrings, or a pendant, and were disappointed when I couldn’t supply them, I’m back in the subversive earrings business.

ACD-E-Suffragettes

Show Your Colours

18 Friday Sep 2015

Posted by in Inspirations from the Screen, New creations

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The upcoming premiere of the movie Suffragette reminded me of how women lobbying for the vote wore jewellery to make a point in the polite and wealthy circles of Edwardian England.

The cause was so popular that London jeweller Mappin and Webb, which supplied pricey baubles to royalty, also featured suffragette jewellery in a purple, white, and green stones. Often a combination of pearls, amethysts, and peridot or tourmaline.

ACD-Pic-SufragetteAnne

It’s not surprising they designed gems for a cause since jewellery has always been symbolic. Ask someone about necklace or a bracelet and you’ll often find it comes with a story.

Many of us wear earrings or a pendant to important meetings as a talisman  – something for good luck. Or it can be used to mark important milestones in life, like a wedding, a graduation, or a new baby.

And jewellery has always been a way of showing your colours literally. Rings and pins are often used to signal membership in a group.

Which is what the astute British suffragist Emmeline Pankhurst had in mind in 1908 when she made purple (dignity), white (purity) and green (hope) the colours of women lobbying for the vote. They decorated badges, flyers, and flags and soon the colours were found in hat ribbons, scarves, and jewellery.

ACD-Pic-SuffragetteBadges

I like to think it was because they realized that there’s no reason to believe that running the world should preclude being stylish.

I’ve always been amazed by the courage of these women. They were beaten, jailed, and tortured in that fight to earn a vote, a privilege that 40 per cent of Canadians now ignore in most elections. Although that hard-won battle for the vote may also explain why more women than men vote in Canada and the U.S.

As a nod to the suffragettes, I’ve made some earrings in the purple, green, and white combination along with some layering necklaces with amethyst, peridot, and pearl-and-moonstone. They’re lovely pieces individually, but you can layer them with your other purple, green, and white jewellery when you’re in the mood to show your colours.

ACD-E-Suffragettes

The Suffragette’s Earrings: slices of green tourmaline and amethyst crown a pair of bold, baroque pearls. Limited edition, special order, $250. 

ACD-N-SuffragettePendant

The Suffragette’s Pendant: slices of green tourmaline and amethyst crown a bold baroque pearl. Limited edition, special order, $345. 

You can also put individual layers of the colours together.

ACD-NK-PeridotSingleStrand

A single strand of peridot mixed with decorative sterling silver beads is lovely on its own. Special order, $290

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And it also comes in purple amethysts. Special order, $225. 

My motto has long been, “speak softly and wear a big necklace.” So as a silent salute to the women who won us the vote, I plan to wear some of my suffragette necklaces when I go to the polls.

~ Anne