[Jewelry making - Article 00211] - [Orchid] [Tidbits] Caffre

[Benjamin Mark]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========


    Caffre 

    This has been done before in another form ... but it bears repeating
    for as far as jewelry goes ... the descendants of the Caffre
    predominate all other archetypes.  

    It was dead and its body was being held by its tail in the air ...
    suspended so that its nose barely touched the ground. The penalty
    invoked by the prince to the man who had killed it--reason unknown--
    was to blanket the creature with enough wheat to cover its body from
    the tip of its nose to the end of its suspended tail ... a hefty
    price for the poor fellow who was trying to eke out a meager
    existence off the land.. This direct descendant of the Caffre cat of
    Egypt ... our modern day tabby if you will ... had been revered and
    reviled through the ages.  

    One can not offer enough insight to the cat ... because--I believe--
    no other creature has been more replicated in jewelry. Think of any
    famous designer ... and ask yourselves if there is even one of them
    that has not made a piece of feline jewelry. I suspect that those of
    you with contrary natures will probably come up with many who have
    not. But that's not the point. The point is that there is truly no
    point ... and that I am leading you all down a primrose path in
    order to make the point--albeit a shaky point--that jewelers make
    cats. Of course ... you may all say ... hey, Benjamin ... what's the
    point? To which I shall respond: Good point! But I digress.  

    The origin of the cat may well be over 36 million years old ... but
    our personal relationship with it started about 5000  years ago in
    Egypt ...  and from that moment to this very day ... the cat was
    here to stay. There was Felix and the Cheshire and Sylvester. There
    was Puss-in-Boots and Piewacket and the witches' companions. And
    there were surely many others whose names I can not think of at the
    moment. I would welcome input for my next cat-tail ... or is it
    cat-tale?   

    Fido ... who may well be our best friend and our buddy to the end
    ... was never and never will be as revered and idolized as was our
    friendly feline. To the Egyptians ... he was protected by law from
    injury. When our supple friend died ... he was embalmed with the
    finest linens the family could afford and placed in mummy cases made
    of precious materials.  

    In the Orient ... Burmese cats were kept as oracles in Burmese
    temples. Seers of the future ... they figured in the belief in
    transmigration of souls. Then there's the story of the Manx cat ...
    and how it lost its tail.  

    Warriors fighting the Irish who had invaded the Isle of Man began
    killing the local cats for the bushy tails ... placing said tails
    upon their helmets as decoration. Observing this slaughter of her kin
    ... a wise old she-cat climbed to the top of a high mountain to give
    birth to her next litter.  To ensure the safety of her kits ... she
    bit off their tails at birth ... ensuring they lived full lives. And
    so we now come to a brooch by one René Boivin ... a gem-set lion
    clip brooch pavéed with yellow and white diamonds with baguette cut
    ruby and sapphire and emerald mane and emerald eyes set in 18 karat
    yellow gold. Its estimated worth is over $40.000. Take a look and
    let me know if you think it's the stunner I think it is.  

    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: Feline
    ... where you'll see an image of said beastie in gold and diamonds
    and precious stones.  

    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


____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________