Jewelry

What people now call "trinkets" in the old days had a religious and even magical meaning. They were made primarily of gold and silver. Jewelry was worn not so much for beauty (although for this too), but as an amulet, a talisman. They were obliged to protect the woman from evil spirits and "corruption", which is sent by witches and wizards. Rings or rings were worn to protect the hands. Rings played an important role in the church rite, sealing the union of a man and a woman. In the peasant environment, rings were made of copper, silver or gold coins by cold forging. The word "persten" (ring) comes from the word "perst" (finger). Rich and noble people often had rings with seals. An impression of a ring on sealing wax could seal a contract or seal an envelope with a letter.

Earrings were worn in the old days, mostly by married women. It was said about a woman who did not wear earrings that she was destined to be widowed. And it’s already a sin for a widow to wear earrings.

The word "beads" in its modern meaning began to be used only from the seventeenth century, and earlier this decoration was called a necklace, that is, "what is worn around the throat." The beads were made of multicolored glass or baked clay, painted red or green ("cat's eyes").

In the twentieth century, the meaning of jewelry as amulets was decorated, but even now women wear rings, earrings and beads.

Decorations of the peoples of the North

The jewelry of the indigenous peoples of the north traditionally has three main elements — fur, leather and beads.

The favorite jewelry of the northern craftsmen is the Nachelnik (jewelry on the face), which belongs to traditional headdresses. It is a braided hoop around the head with freely hanging set pendants made of beads and glass beads framing the face and decorated with a large beaded rosette trimmed with fur. Geometric patterns of combinations of red, yellow, green, white, blue and black beads make people fall in love at first glance. One can only marvel at the imagination of skilled craftsmen.

Beads are usually combined not only with fur, but also with painting on leather, fur mosaic and even embroidery with smooth silk on the flooring. Thus, earrings, bracelets, and various breast ornaments trimmed with long-pile fur and soft deerskin are born from under the needle of the northern craftsmen. Considering the ethnic jewelry of the North, it is impossible to find two identical beads in the same row of embroidery.

Decorations of Russian old-timers

Rings

In the peasant environment, there were mainly copper and silver rings, gold rings were worn only by the rich. A smooth, simple ring could be made by a village blacksmith by cold forging from a coin.

Signs related to the ring: Wash with rainwater with a gold ring on your finger — you will be rich. If a married woman loses her wedding ring, she will lose her husband. To dream of a ring to a bachelor foreshadows marriage, the acquisition of friendship or a new acquaintance. To see oneself with gold rings is a sign of elevation in dignity, the acquisition of power.

With the help of an engagement ring, the girls were guessing. On New Year’s Eve, they poured water into a glass, dipped the wedding ring of a married woman into it and looked into it. After a while, the face of the betrothed was supposed to appear in the ring.

The word "persten" (ring) comes from the word "perst" (finger). In pre-Petrine times, the ring was a male decoration. Rich and noble people often wore rings on each finger. There were also rings with seals. In the 19th century, rings continued to be worn mainly by representatives of the merchant class and trading peasants.

Earrings

In pre-Petrine times, earrings were worn by both women and men. Subsequently, earrings became women’s jewelry (however, they were worn by Cossacks: an earring in the left ear of a Cossack meant that he was one child of his parents). Earrings were worn by women of all classes: the richer the jewelry, the more obvious the wealth of the family was shown.

Many signs and superstitions are associated with earrings: A happy wife should wear earrings to the bride so that she would be happy. If a married woman does not wear earrings, she is destined to become a widow. It’s a sin for a widow to wear earrings.

Decorations of the Siberian Tatars

The complex of women’s jewelry of the Siberian Tatars included beveled jewelry ("tsolbu", "tulum", "manit"), earrings ("olga"), beads ("muntsakh"), small beads "under corals" ("mertsin"), bundles of beads ("ence"), necklaces with amulet medallions ("ogayek"), bracelets ("plaque", "pelyalik") and rings ("yusik", "yusuk"), brooches ("tiryauts"), belt fasteners "kaptyrma", as well as all kinds of plaques and pendants sewn to clothes. Decorative buttons "tyima" ("tuma") can also be attributed here. Decorative buttons were made of spherical shape with a relief or openwork pattern. The main material from which jewelry was made was silver. The inserts were made of glass imitating precious and semi-precious stones: aquamarine, amethyst, turquoise, ruby, carnelian. Depending on the wealth of the family, the stones could also be natural. They were called "kuslar" (eyes). In addition to jewelry made by artisan craftsmen, there were also purchased, often made of gold, mostly earrings. One of the specific decorations were shovel-shaped bibs with sewn ribbons and braid, sewn plaques, pendants, and stones — "kukrancha". In addition, there were breast ornaments in the form of a moonlight with coins. Women wore them over their dresses after the birth of their first child.