350 Words for Jewellery
The etymological study of 75 different languages with 350 words related to jewellery reveals that through this linguistic analysis we can virtually watch our ancestors thinking and wearing jewellery. We trace how different, closely interwoven semantic meanings and derivations have developed from phonetically existing basic forms. Our language shapes our understanding of jewellery today. The terms used always resonate with certain expectations, values and messages. Not infrequently, the words can be traced back across continents and over millennia. Rarely enough do we make ourselves aware of these universals that span the globe.
Barbara Schmidt, 2022
Photos of jewellery artists active today illustrate that the framing of jewellery terms is still valid today. The lexical section comprises 88 pages with terms and their derivations from about 75 living and historical languages. A foreword by Prof. Dr. Marian Vanhaeren and Prof. Dr. mult. Wulf Schiefenhoevel and a philosophical escort by Tassilo Pyko offer an introduction.
280 pages with hardcover and thread binding cost €35 + shipping
ISBN 978-3-9820512-4-6
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Supported by funds from the Dannerstiftung