A Wandering Elf
  • A Wandering Elf
  • Blog: My Journey
  • Iron Age Celtic Studies
  • A Wandering Elf in the Woods
  • Classes
  • Resources: Sheep & Wool
  • Resources: Costume and Textiles
  • Resources: Migration Era
  • Resources: Historic Glass Beads

Beads... and Symmetry (or lack thereof)

5/22/2023

1 Comment

 
If you are wanting to upgrade parts of your early period kit, I cannot recommend enough that you consider trying something beyond "absolute" symmetry in your strands of beads for certain times and places.  Why?  Because often what we see is not a grouping of beads where the left and right sides of the strand can mirror each other identically.  Frequently the beads in a single find are a scattering of types and styles.

Celtic finds, Migration Period, Viking Age... so many periods were the beads seem to be valued for their uniqueness, rather than "matching" in a mirroring sort of way.  In some collections we see a possibility for balance in the stringing (we often do not know exactly how they were strung during life, and many reconstructions opt for at least balance in the overall look if exact symmetry is not possible), but not that mirroring effect. 

I know that my first Viking strands were always painfully symmetrical, and they never really looked "right" to me.  I was definitely over engineering.  I am happier with the things that I make now, where I let different beads speak to me and get included for what each one brings to my mind.

​Below are some examples of extant groupings of beads that show off balance (with out absolute symmetry) and and some collections that really are a delightfully chaotic mix of things that seem to speak more to me of the people and places from which these items came.

Many museums have beads online and its sometimes worth it to just spend hours surfing until inspiration hits (unimus.no, National Museum of Denmark, Saxon beads are also easy to track down... heck, this is the one time I am actually going to recommend surfing the hated Pinterest for inspiration).

Honestly?  I would LOVE to see more of this type of work, these things that make the piece unique, in the modern world as well.
Picture
Birka 971... definitely balance was sought after here, but the beads themselves do not show absolute symmetry in size or type from left to right. Also, this one does something else I love, which a large grouping of a single color of bead and a few in the center that really are shown well because of the arrangment.
Picture
Eidem, Norway. Again, we have attempts at balance in that the largest are in the center and similar shapes go up the sides, but absolute symmetry is lacking. I find that this type of necklace invites me in to a try to learn more about it.
Picture
12th Century Novgorod - I love this. LOVE this. This could well have been a valued collection where each piece perhaps represented a milestone or precious gift to the wearer. The is beautiful as it is, even with its colorful chaos.
Picture
Pagal Lady of Peel necklace - Viking Age. This one is very famous and is absolutely not symmetrical. There is everything to love about it.
Picture
Anglo Saxon beads from Sarre - there is symmetry in terms of shape attempted in some of these, but others are just glorious representations of lives lived. Several have balance in the arrangement, but a couple are just wonderfully random.
Picture
This is a necklace I made for myself that is comprised of early Celtic types of beads. I did not attempt symmetry and honestly, could not love this more than I already do. It is completely unique.
1 Comment
eco friendly clothing link
9/12/2023 10:08:51 pm

The brand’s unique aesthetic which merges Chinese and Western heritage is both limitless and borderless; comprising of one-of-a-kind tailoring fused with a modern take on the traditional Chinese dress.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    About Me

    I am mother to a billion cats and am on journey to recreate the past via costume, textiles, culture and food.

    A Wandering Elf participates in the Amazon Associates program and a small commission is earned on qualifying purchases. 
    ​

    Archives

    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    May 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    March 2021
    February 2021
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012

    Categories

    All
    12th Night
    14th Century
    AEthelmearc
    Aprondress
    Awards
    Bog Dress
    Bronze Age
    Dance
    Dance Name
    Distaff
    Dyeing
    Embroidery
    Fiber Arts
    Flax Growing
    Food
    Glass
    Haberci
    Headcoverings
    Inspirations
    In The News
    Library
    List Of Links
    Machine Embroidery
    Metal Clay
    Mid Month Inspiration
    Migration Era/Iron Age
    My Documents
    Ottoman
    Ottoman Fabrics
    Pennsic
    Publications
    Research
    Rigid Heddle
    Sca
    SCA Camping
    SCA Forestry
    Sca Name
    Sca Newcomer
    Sewing
    Sheep
    Spinning
    Textile Charts
    Tips
    Totally Not SCA
    Viking
    Viking Bead Research
    Viking Costume: Beyond The Myth
    Viking Swatch Book
    Viking Textiles Looking Deeper
    Weaving
    Wool


      Email Updates

    Subscribe to Newsletter

    Blogroll of SCA & Costume Bloggers

    Below is a collection of some of my favorite places online to look for SCA and historic costuming information.

    More Amie Sparrow - 16th Century German Costuming


    Gianetta Veronese - SCA and Costuming Blog

    Grazia Morgano - 16th Century A&S

    Mistress Sahra -Dress From Medieval Turku 

    Hibernaatiopesäke

    Loose Threads: Cathy's Costume Blog

    Mistress Mathilde Bourrette - By My Measure: 14th and 15th Century Costuming

    More than Cod: Exploring Medieval Norway

    RSS Feed


Proudly powered by Weebly