Without the contributions of the craftsmen of bohemia, the world of Vintage costume jewellery would be very different. For five hundred years (probably longer) the greatest manufacturers of costume jewellery have been ignored, tucked away in the heartland of Europe. Their work has not been credited and is conveniently dismissed by some.
I am talking about the artisans of Bohemia, that country of many names, who provided the world with designs and materials far ahead of their times and yet who today remain largely ignored and forgotten.
It is my experience that North Americans who are inordinately proud of their vintage costume jewellery heritage, pay little respect or waste little admiration upon the unseen heroes of Gablonz and the surrounding regions. Do any Americans know for example that Daniel Swarovski came from Gablonz?
Giving them the benefit of the doubt, let us say that they do not know that findings, components and parts for costume jewellery, were shipped by the ton to highly respected makers of vintage costume jewellery throughout the world – including in large part the United States of America.
Because the components (and the jewellery itself) was rarely marked, these providers of parts to the likes of the much revered Miriam Haskell (for example) remain ignored, hidden and little appreciated.
One would assume that North America, being such a very young country itself, would revel in the fact that the people providing the elements for their esteemed costume jewel makers were mostly from Bohemian glass dynasties who were around for centuries – hundreds of years (unlike America itself).
It is an even greater tragedy that the ‘authorities’ of Germany lead by the leader of what was called the “National Socialist Party” during World War II, deemed it necessary to expel these artisans from their homeland and disperse their expertise.
Hitler himself derided the ‘trinkets’ produced by craftsmen of this area, which in itself showed him to be entirely ignorant of ecomonic facts since ‘bijouterie’ production made a huge income for the region.
The more I read about how the ‘National Socialist’ party of the Third Reich effected the production of costume jewellery, the more disgusted I am. The company of Jakob Bengal was forced to carry on its trade ‘under the radar’ of the Third Reich for fear of retribution.
The extermination camps of Nazi Germany were responsible for wiping out the Neiger family, Gablonzer craftsmen of the highest order and great contributors to costume jewellery.
Lovers of vintage costume jewellery should forever mourn the loss of these exceptional craftsmen and women, the like of whom the world will never see again.
At the very least, they should accept and appreciate the huge contribution that the Gablonzers and artisans from Bohemia gave to designers of vintage costume jewellers worldwide.
No comments:
Post a Comment