[Jewelry making - Article 00127] - [Orchid] [Tidbits] Dragons

[Benjamin Mark]

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    Dragons 

    Nowhere in mythology is there a more popular beastie than the
    dragon. This shows itself not only in literature ... but also in
    jewelry. You can't browse through books with pictures of jewelry
    without coming across dragons. They are fantastical creatures
    believed by some to still exist but in hiding for fear of what
    humans will do to them. 

    Heidelberg, Germany.  It was not too long ago in relative time that
    dragons had insinuated themselves into the daily lives of its
    inhabitants. Dragons' eggs--commonly found in the river--were culled
    and hatched. The resulting creatures--our dragons-- became pets and
    loyal protectors of hearth and home. Even a Rottweiler or a Doberman
    would think twice about attacking the owners of a pet dragon.
    Additionally ... dragons were quite useful in an age that had not
    yet invented matches ... for at a simple command ... perhaps a wink
    of an eye ... or the lifting of a finger ... a pet dragon could be
    coaxed to breathing into the fire-place ... thereby bringing light
    and warmth to all. It goes without saying that each and every
    blacksmith of the time had a pet dragon. By golly ... they were darn
    near indispensable. 

    It was the female dragon that was preferred by river inhabitants.
    The females were water-loving creatures and brought much joy to
    local fishermen.  They were known to be truly intelligent  creatures
    and there were reports indicating some of them could even speak
    human. They were much beloved by many and often had quite lengthy
    and rather intellectual discourses with alchemists and scholars and
    sorcerers of the day. Dragons had much to teach ... and they gave of
    their knowledge unselfishly. 

    The males--on the other hand--were preferred by farmers.  Only males
    were able to fly  and stories are told about dragon-riders  who
    skimmed the clouds many years before Mrs. Wright gave birth to her
    prodigal sons. Wanna go for a quick flight son, a father would offer
    his offspring after a particularly long afternoon in the fields. A
    quick skim in the skies just before dinner was just what was needed
    to end a day. 

    Alas ... there were some in power who held their noses in the air
    and stated quite unequivocally that keeping a dragon as a pet was
    the same as harboring an offspring from hell in one's house. It
    became prohibited ... and disobedience was rigorously punished. 

    And so the dragon went the way of the Dodo ... and the Dinosaur ...
    and other creatures who decided living with humans was not worth the
    work and energy. It is for this reason we hold this creature so high
    in our esteem  and make beautiful pieces of jewelry to commemorate a
    time that once was ... when a pet dragon would lay his head in our
    laps while we watched television ... and if their breath
    occasionally singed our clothing ... so what? We loved them as they
    loved us. 

    For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits...may I
    direct you to my home page at www.tyler-adam.com where you will
    scroll down the left side menu till you get to the area that says
    Tidbits Graphics ... and then click on the link that says: Dragon
    ... where you will see a graphic of our mythical beast with an
    elongated baroque pearl body encased in scaly gold and detailed with
    green enamel suspended by a chain. 

    And there ya have it. That's it for this week folks. Catch you all
    next week. Benjamin Mark 

TYLER-ADAM CORP.--Jewelry Manufacturers
Tel -- 1-800-20-TYLER
E-Mail: webmaster AT tyler-adam.com

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