Wednesday
Featured Topic, Gemstone Jewelry, Gift IdeasValentine’s Day Jewelry, History and Suggestions
According to legend Valentine’s Day originated in third century Rome. The then Emperor, Claudius II, decreed that unmarried men made better soldiers, so he outlawed marriage of young men deemed to become potential soldiers. A Catholic Priest named Valentine considered the law to be unjust, so he defied Claudius’ edit, and married couples in secret. Unfortunately, the Emperor heard of the clandestine weddings, and ordered Valentine to be put to death. The Legend continues that while Valentine was imprisoned, he met and fell in love with his jailer’s daughter. Before his execution on February 14th, he supposedly wrote her a love letter and signed it, “From your Valentine”. The story of his bravery and the note caught on, and Valentine was eventually canonized into Sainthood.
Ruby and Diamond Pendent
Valentine’s Day as a holiday to present cards and gifts to express affection began in Great Britain in the 1600s. As printing became more common and postage stamps become more affordable, cards began to replace handwritten notes and small tokens. The idea caught on in the US in the 1700s; and in the 1840s, American Esther Howland began to mass produce Valentine’s cards.
Valentine’s Day has come to be symbolized by stylized hearts, the color red, roses, the Roman God Cupid, Celtic Love knots, and love birds. I was curious as to why these particular things have come to signify love.
Green Amethyst and Diamond Heart Pendant
Hearts have always been the predominate symbol to represent the holiday. In the Bible, the heart is referred to on several occasions, as a source of human emotion. In Genesis, the thoughts of evil man are in their hearts; In Exodus, the Lord “hardened” the Pharaoh’s heart; and in Jeremiah, God tries to judge what’s in the human “heart”. Later on, Aristotle considered the heart to be the seat of emotion and passion, rejecting the brain as the source. Overtime, the heart came to represent feeling, ardor and eventually, love. In the 15th century, the heart is first seen drawn in the modern day “heart-shape”. Theory has it that few people of the time has actually seen a human heart, that more commonly seen was a cow’s heart which bears a slight resemblance to the stylized one. Artists of the day began drawing the human heart in the stylized version, and the concept took off. Victorian’s began using the heart shape along with ribbons, laces and bows to decorate their valentine cards.
Diamond Heart Pendent
Today, gifts of jewelry have become part of the tradition along with chocolate and cards. There is an abundance of heart-shaped jewelry to be found in just about every material, size, shape, and price range. Be it a simple heart-shaped pendent on a gold chain, or an elaborate diamond and ruby heart-shaped ring, heart jewelry is easily recognizable as a modern symbol of love and affection.
Post Tags: Heart Pendent Valentine's Day
