|
|
|
|
WELCOME TO THE EAST FINCHLEY OPEN ARTISTS MARCH NEWSLETTER
|
|
|
This Month - Interplay - Diamond Rings - Mr Doodle - Members News - and more
If you are viewing on gmail remember to click 'display images' and 'view entire message' when you reach the bottom.
|
|
|
COMING UP, EITHER SIDE OF EASTER, OUR NEXT EXHIBITION 'INTERPLAY' AT THE ORIGINAL GALLERY,
HORNSEY LIBRARY, CROUCH END, N8
PRIVATE VIEW - 12th APRIL - ALL WELCOME
MORE NEWS NEXT MONTH
|
|
A staple of jewellery designers, this piece is about rings – diamond ones in particular.
MIKE COLES writes:-
|
|
|
27 year old Mary Frances Gerety, who was primarily known as ‘Frances’, started her job as a copywriter at the Philadelphia based advertising agency, N.W Ayer in 1943. A woman working in very much a ‘man’s world’, she was hired to write for women’s products only,
One such product was diamond jewellery.
But more about her later
|
|
|
The history of the wedding ring is varied - it changes with different religions and different countries views of marriage. Some rings strictly mark the legal contract of marriage, while others were clearly crafted in the name of ‘true love’.
However, In the Christian world - and now accepted in many other faiths too, the diamond ring is the most popular symbol of commitment, and even romance, between two people.
How did this come to be?
Wedding rings don't directly have any historical religious significance but there are many modern spiritual interpretations of their usage. Historians believe that wedding rings originated from very old Roman traditions, prior to Christianity.
Jewellery has existed for thousands of years, long before the idea of a metal ring was conceived. The oldest known worn adornments are shell beads dated to 150,000 years ago in, what is now, the western Morocco Desert. These were simply drilled and made into necklaces or bangles which hung around the body.
There is no archaeological evidence of ‘rings’, as we know them, until Ancient Egypt. The earliest example of a ring comes from one in the burial chambers of an Egyptian Pharaoh from about six thousand years ago. Back then rings were sacred religious items worn to ward off evil spirits or to acknowledge the gods' rule of the people.
|
|
|
Left; Tutankhamen's ring Right: a typical 'serpent swallowing its tail' ring
|
|
For the Pharaohs, rings represented eternity. That’s because a circle has no beginning and no end and also reflects the shape of the sun and the moon, which the Egyptians worshipped. The Egyptians also thought that the open space in the middle of a ring represented a gateway to the unknown. Their rings often portrayed a serpent swallowing its tail - the eternal cycle of things.
When Alexander the Great conquered the Egyptians, the Greeks adopted the tradition of giving rings to their lovers to represent devotion. Many of these rings depicted Eros or Cupid, the god of love. When the Romans conquered Greece, they also picked up on this tradition and began using iron and copper rings in marriage ceremonies. (The iron rings sometimes had key motifs to symbolize that the wife now had control of the household goods!). By 2nd century AD, however, most rings were made of gold.
The role of rings changed over time. Initially representing social status, plain gold was also a way to separate a rich man from the poor, but by the end of the ancient world, gold had become commonplace and was worn by almost everyone. This led to those rich enough buying expensive gems to inlay their golden bands to restore their exclusive status. So, from the 3rd and 4th centuries AD onwards, gold rings became more luxurious in style, flaunting the owner’s wealth.
|
|
|
A Fede ring from the 16th Century. Originating in Roman times, 'fede' comes from the Italian phrase 'mane in fede' (hands clasped in faith)
|
|
The fede ring, which showed two right hands clasped together, representing friendship, partnership and the marriage contract, were popular during this time and into the Middle Ages.. This design was rendered in gold and often included gemstones such as onyx, garnet or amethyst.
Moving right along -When did diamond wedding rings appear?
The oldest surviving diamond jewellery dates back to 300 BC. The first known diamond ring dates back to the late 100s AD and was found in Rome. Diamonds back then were uncut and valued for their hardness rather than brilliance.
The first recorded diamond wedding ring dates back to the late 1300s or early 1400s when it was left by an English widow in her will. A poem written about the 1475 wedding of two Italian socialites reads: “Two wills, two hearts, two passions are bonded in one marriage by a diamond”.
The first celebrity diamond engagement ring was given in 1477 by Archduke Maximillian of Austria to Mary of Burgundy. The ring is said to have been made up of small flat diamonds that spelled out Mary’s initial, M, a fitting gift for the future duchess who was the most eligible single woman at court at the time.
Diamond engagement rings became increasingly popular and ornate during Victorian times due to Queen Victoria’s famed love for diamond jewellery. The early Victorian period corresponded with the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Jewellery, no longer made only by hand, became more affordable. The growing middle class also helped increase the demand. Rings were mass-produced and so became cheaper than ever before to purchase.
This rise in the number of mass produced rings led to jewellers creating unique pieces which could not easily be replicated by a machine and to bring back some exclusivity to those who could afford it. Bespoke rings were made of precious metals and rare gems which could not be mass produced.
One important development happened during the early Victorian era. Diamonds had started to come into favour with the opening of the South African diamond mines in 1867.
The story now switches to South Africa
|
|
|
Cecil Rhodes (left) and Ernest Oppenheimer
|
|
The son of a vicar, Cecil Rhodes was born in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire. A sickly child, he was sent to South Africa by his family when he was 17 years old in the hope that the climate might improve his health. He entered the diamond trade at Kimberley in 1871, when he was 18, and, thanks to funding from contacts at Rothschild & Co, began to systematically buy out and consolidate diamond mines.
Over the next two decades he gained near-complete domination of the world diamond market, forming a massive monopoly. His diamond company De Beers, formed in 1888, retained its prominence into the 21st century. His monopoly of the world's diamond supply was sealed in 1890 through a strategic partnership with the London-based Diamond Syndicate. They agreed to control world supply to maintain high prices.
Rhodes was an imperialist, businessman and politician who played a dominant role in southern Africa in the late 19th Century, driving the annexation of vast swathes of land, including present day Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia). Rhodes brought large amounts of wealth to Britain, and he himself became rich from resources found in South Africa. He led the way in British patriotism and imperialism and dreamed of a British territory which stretched from 'Cape to Cairo' - and of a railway that would greatly enhance transport for British trade.
However, from age 40 his health deteriorated with increasing severity until his death from heart failure in 1902, aged 48.
Elected to the De Beers board in 1926, in 1929 Ernest Oppenheimer, owner of the Anglo American Corporation, seized control of De Beers. It was a critical time. America was entering a depression, and diamond prices were in freefall. The diamond trade continued to stagnate into the mid 1940’s. After the devastation of two World Wars and the Depression, diamonds had lost their sparkle and a lot of their profits.
So now we return to Frances Gerety.
In the event, it would fall to Frances to restore the magic appeal of diamond jewellery and the profits of De Beers, starting with her employment at the Philadelphia based advertising agency, N.W Ayer in 1943. She was hired to write adverts for women’s products only, with De Beers being her main account.
Four years into her career at N.W Ayer, and just like any other working day in 1947, 31 year old Gerety would go on to change the attitude to women working in advertising with her spark of genius. She was working late and had just finished a series of ads and was headed to bed when she realized that she had forgotten to create a signature line. Exhausted, she said “Dear God, send me a line,” and scribbled something on a slip of paper. When she woke up and saw what she had written, she thought it was just O.K. A few hours later, she presented her idea at a meeting.
|
|
‘A Diamond is Forever’
According to her, “Nobody jumped.”
The line was initially met with hesitancy due to its unusual style. However, it was this line that would transform both the diamond and advertising industries.
N.W. Ayer conducted extensive surveys of consumer attitudes and found that most Americans thought diamonds were a luxury for the ultra-wealthy. Women wanted their men to spend money on “a washing machine, or a new car, anything but an engagement ring,” Gerety said in 1988. “It was considered just absolutely money down the drain.” Still, the agency had set an ambitious goal: “to create a situation where almost every person pledging marriage feels compelled to acquire a diamond engagement ring.”
|
|
|
Frances Gerety encouraged De Beers to associate diamonds with art in their advertisements . Top left: a diamond ring 'planted' in a Manet painting Top right: a Salvador Dali painting in a De Beer's magazine ad Bottom left: Botticelli's 'Birth of Venus', remade with a diamond ring Bottom right : an anniversary Barbie doll with 168 diamonds
|
|
Because De Beers controlled the world supply of rough diamonds, antitrust laws prohibited the company from doing business in the United States. The ads could not promote De Beers, or even show pictures of jewellery, so the agency commissioned bold paintings by artists like André Derain and purchased pre-existing works by Dalí and Picasso.
“Sentiment is essential to your advertising, as it is to your product,” the agency wrote De Beers in a memo, “for the emotional connotation of the diamond is the one competitive advantage which no other product can claim or dispute.” They even suggested that one months salary was an appropriate amount to pay for an engagement ring
The campaign was wildly successful and capitalising on the country’s renewed interest in diamonds, Gerety wrote a monthly letter to newspapers describing the diamond jewellery worn by Hollywood actresses (usually lent by the advertising agency). Lending jewels to socialites and starlets for the Academy Awards and the Kentucky Derby was particularly profitable.
After just two years, the sale of diamonds in the United States increased by 55 percent. In its 1951 annual report, N. W. Ayer noted that, “for a number of years we have found evidence that the diamond engagement ring tradition is consistently growing stronger. Jewellers now tell us ‘a girl is not engaged unless she has a diamond engagement ring.’
Ironically Frances Gerety never married. But her greatest professional achievement was helping to create a sense of emotional attachment to the diamond engagement ring.
|
|
By giving Hollywood actresses diamonds to wear in their movies, De Beers made diamonds glamorous symbols of romance, Marilyn Monroe made “diamonds are a girl’s best friend” a household phrase.
It’s hard to imagine a time when diamond engagement rings were not the norm; today, even after a decade and a half of bad press about blood diamonds and working conditions in the mines, among other concerns, 75 percent of brides in the United States wear one. (according the Jewellery Industry Research Institute)
Last year, Americans alone spent almost $7 billion (£6 bn) on the rings. But in 1938, when a De Beers representative wrote to N. W. Ayer to inquire whether “the use of propaganda in various forms” might boost the sale of diamonds in the United States, their popularity had been waning.
“A Diamond Is Forever,” has appeared in every De Beers engagement ad since 1948.In 1999, two weeks before Frances Gerety died at the age of 83, Advertising Age named it the slogan of the century.
And so, as we already suspected, advertising can have a substantial impact on culture – and can change the way entire generations of men and women view even the institution of marriage.
Today, De Beers no longer have a monopoly on diamonds, but a diamond engagement ring is still the most common choice - and not just among Christians.
As fashions and attitudes change, many couples now opt for unique styles, vintage pieces, rough diamonds, or non-traditional stones. Other couples are interested in more eco-friendly options including lab grown diamonds and moissanites (a diamond like silicon carbide found in meteor remains but now produced artificially), or even recycled diamonds. Some women decide to forgo the engagement ring all together, while some men now choose to wear engagement rings along with their partners.
|
|
East Finchley Open Artists has a number of highly talented jewellery designers - see their work here:-
https://eastfinchleyopen.org.uk/gallery/jewellery-gallery.html
Postscript
There are many other types of rings -practical, symbolic or mystical – here are a few:-
|
|
The Ring of the Fisherman also known as the Piscatory Ring, is an official part of the regalia worn by the Pope, who is head of the Catholic Church and successor of Saint Peter, who was a fisherman by trade.
It used to feature a bas-relief of Peter fishing from a boat, a symbolism derived from the tradition that the apostles were "fishers of men"
Since at least the Middle Ages it has been a tradition for Catholics meeting the Pope to show their devotion by kissing the ring.
|
|
|
|
Upon a Popes death, the ring used to be ceremonially destroyed using a hammer in the presence of cardinals This was done to prevent issuance of forged documents during the period before the appointment of his successor. Today, the destruction of the ring with deep scratches is a symbol of the end of rule of the Pope who used to wear that ring. This custom was followed after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI by applying two deep cuts, in the shape of a cross with a chisel.
|
|
Signet rings The wearing of signet rings (from Latin "signum" meaning "sign" or "mark") dates back again to Ancient Egypt: the seal of a pharaoh is mentioned in the Book of Genesis. "Removing his signet ring from his hand, Pharaoh put it on Joseph's hand; he arrayed him in garments of fine linen, and put a gold chain around his neck."
Because it is used to attest to the authority of its bearer, the ring has also been seen as a symbol of power, which is why it is included in the regalia of certain monarchies. Next time you see him on TV look out for King Charles’s little finger!
Signet rings are also used as souvenir or membership attribute, e.g., class ring (typically bear the coat of arms or crest of the school), celebrating sports achievements or even members of criminal gangs. One may also have their initials engraved as a sign of their personal stature. For hundreds of years signet rings, engraved appropriately, were used to push into hot wax to validate documents and seal boxes.
|
|
|
Left; a typical antique signet ring right: the fictional 'one ring'
|
|
The Rings of Power are magical artefacts in author J. R. R. Tolkien's books, most prominently in his fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. The One Ring first appeared as a plot device, a magic ring in Tolkien's children's fantasy novel, The Hobbit.
Tolkien later gave it a backstory and much greater power. He added nineteen other Great Rings, also conferring invisibility, that it could control, including the Three Rings of the Elves, Seven Rings for the Dwarves, and Nine for Men.
Way back in colonial America spoilsport Puritans considered jewellery frivolous. Puritan husbands therefore gave their wives thimbles instead of rings. After brides used their thimbles to sew clothes and textiles for their new home, they could then saw off the tops of their thimbles to create rings!
In 1956, when the Hollywood actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco, her engagement ring was priced at $4,060,000. Today, she takes the top spot with an engagement ring worth over £40 million when adjusted for inflation! The 10.47-carat emerald-cut diamond ring was designed by Cartier,
Today all the most valuable diamonds are coloured ones - here is a graphic from The Guardian
|
|
|
MEMBERS NEWS - SARAH NEEDHAM
|
|
SARAH WRITES -
From 9-12 March I will be exhibiting at The Other Art Fair in London on stand 55 exhibiting work from my Small Ports and Sea Coves collection. This collection has at its heart the idea of truth, obfuscation, lies and revelation and is largely large works in blue. Please come along if you can
The Old Truman Brewery, 95 Brick Lane, London E1 6QL
|
|
MR. DOODLE
Now here is a story, which you may have already heard about, but is so strange that you wonder if it’s real – but apparently it is.
29 year old Sam Cox is a Kent based artist also known as 'Mr Doodle' – and you will see why.
Cox took the fine art world by storm when his seemingly playful work started selling at auctions at prices much higher than most expected (to date, his record sale was for his 2019 Spring piece, which sold for a little under £800,000 at the Tokyo Chuo Auction Company.)
|
|
|
The 4 meter wide 'Spring' being auctioned in Tokyo
|
|
In 2020, he was the fifth most successful artist at auction under 40 years old. Unusually, he didn’t go the gallery route for selling but used smart branding and the power of social media as key elements to his exceptional success - not forgetting his passion for doodling,
Cox said doodling is “almost like an out-of-body experience. You’re just indulging yourself in this free-flowing state of creation.” His success meant he could buy a £1.5m mansion style house in Tenterden, near Ashford in Kent with his wife Anna.
So far so good.
Then, in 2020, he announced on social media that he was going to cover every inch of his house, inside and out, with his trademark doodles.
At the end of last year this was completed. He used 900 litres of white paint, 286 bottles of black paint, 401 cans of black colour spray paint, and 2.296 pen nibs.
Cox filled every inch of his doodle house with animals, shapes and patterns. Doodled corners of the house are not limited to walls, floors, and ceilings; even bedsheets, plates, and towels are doodled. He specified a theme for each place and drew shapes accordingly. For example, in the kitchen, you will see food shapes like hamburgers, while in the study room, cloud shapes are seen. The whole house is now considered a work of Art.
Above all though, he says his work is about having fun, and not taking things too seriously. "A lot of art is lacking a sense of humour," says Cox. "It’s a fun thing to be able to draw and create your own world, and sometimes it is funny. I’m not afraid of people laughing at me or if they don’t get it."
“I got my first recognition for drawings when I was about ten. I won a competition to design a mural for a building in our school. This mobile building was where they taught music. So, my design had instruments, people playing the guitars, and stuff like that. That was my first public piece of artwork, which was cool to see. From then on, I wanted to see my work on walls and in public spaces”
“When I was 11 or maybe younger, I covered my bedroom walls with sheets of A4 paper with little drawings all over the place, characters and comic book pages. I started drawing on small things like my wallet and ornaments in my room; I covered them with drawings. My parents ran a furniture shop at this time; they gave me old pieces of furniture. So, I could draw on different things and test my drawings on tables, chairs, etc. So I started to create characters to fit the various spaces around the object, down a chair leg or across the arm. Everything would fit into the shapes and become a pattern; I call it a happy doodle virus that consumes everything in its path."
"I asked my mum if I could draw on the walls of my room, and she said, could you cover it with like lining paper first and then it is removable? I didn’t want to do that; it doesn’t look as real if you do that. So I just started doing it on the wall, and after a few hours, she came and saw it and said that’s kind of all right"
“"I had great teachers at school. I did a project called Obsession in graphics class. You had to choose something you were obsessed with and create a project out of it or document other people’s obsessions. My teacher, Morgan, said to me you’re obsessed with drawing. Which was true; I would spend all night drawing. I’d stay up till four or five in the morning doing drawings and see how the process of staying up late would change them. I’d draw on all sorts of different things my parents’ furniture, walls, scraps of paper, lamp posts and all kinds of bits, all over the place".
"So I built this work ethic where I knew if I was awake, I wanted to draw and be creative”.
“Some days I could spend 16 or 17 hours drawing, which continued until I went to university. And then, at uni, I would stay up all night in my room, just drawing on stuff, then going into the university and drawing on the walls around the campus"
"One day, I drew all over my clothes, and I went to university wearing them, one of my tutors, Phil took a picture of me and said on Instagram, this is Sam Cox, The Doodle Man. I thought that was a cool name. I went with The Doodle Man for a few years before shortening it to Mr Doodle”.
“I’d like to thank my mum and dad because, ever since they let me draw over my bedroom walls when I was a kid, I have wanted to live in a property completely covered in characters of my own creation,”
|
|
Here are a couple of videos which you might find interesting!
https://youtu.be/f7ke3HznCCo
https://www.today.com/video/meet-mr-doodle-the-artist-whose-life-is-one-big-doodle-150828101818
(There is a rumour that the Cox’s may be looking for a new house)
A Doctor writes -"Quite clearly bonkers"
|
|
Salvador Dali was convinced that he was his dead older brother.
Nine months after the death of his older brother, Dali believed that he became his reincarnation. He continued to live on with this belief for years while conducting strange acts. Dali is known for once showing up to deliver a speech wearing a scuba diving suit.
A Doctor writes - "Quite clearly bonkers as well"
|
|
Pablo Picasso was an animal lover who had a monkey, goat, owl, turtle and lots of cats and dogs
A Doctor writes - "don't ask!"
|
|
MEMBER NEWS - ROS FREEBORN
Ros writes:- I’m going to be running a Papershades workshop as part of our Make & Mend Festival on Saturday 18th March between 2-5pm.
It costs just £30 to have a place at my table. You’ll have a wide range of paper to choose from to make a design which I’ll print on the spot. Everyone goes home with a a beautiful paper lampshade.
A great way to brighten up a home whether the lights are on or off.
There’s more information on my website: www.papershades.co.uk and on the Muswell Hill Creatives website: https://www.muswellhillcreatives.com/make-and-mend.html
|
|
ABOUT EAST FINCHLEY OPEN ARTISTS
Find out about us on our website www.eastfinchleyopen.org.uk
There you will find details of all our current members plus photo's of their work and contact details plus information on recent and upcoming exhibitions
MEMBERSHIP: If you are interested in joining East Finchley Open Artists please contact the Membership Secretary at membership@eastfinchleyopen.org.uk
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
