Pearls, sapphires, diamonds & toadstones I Curator's Corner S3 Ep8 #CuratorsCorner

Curator Naomi Speakman has already told us about bestiaries - medieval books of animals both real and mythical. Here, she takes us through another type of medieval compendiary - the lapidary, an encyclopaedia of jewels, their properties and their meanings in medieval society.
#CuratorsCorner #Jewellery

[@psammiad]

Pearls are made by soaking up moonbeams?! That's an adorable idea.

[@AR-mu4zq]

The idea itself is ethereal, archaic, they way she said it was adorable.

[@redraven1410]

It makes Pearl's sound so romantic!

[@ishmaelforester9825]

The sea was associated with heavenly bodies because rising and setting, they seemed to plunge into and arise from it. The world was thought to be surrounded by a great ocean. I think that is why sunbeams and moonbeams were associated with the pearl and it's also a key to a lot of ancient symbolism. In a way they imagined every night and day the sun and moon and stars were skinny-dipping in the ocean, which is kind of adorable.

[@jacquiventura4646]

That's lovely, 😊😉

[@michaelnissen4322]

And sunbeams, that's common knowledge these days🤥

[@wizardofahhhs759]

The intricacy of jewelry in medieval times is is absolutely astounding.

[@coopsevy5664]

The art work that went into to this jewelry is jaw dropping, all the history is mind blowing.

[@dazuk1969]

Great stuff Naomi, we all love bit of bling. Big shout to all who work at the British museum.

[@kryw10]

Please make nine more episodes like this about the rest of your jewelry because I am not completely engrossed and this one wasn't long enough. :D

[@censusgary]

In a lapidary now, we would discuss a stone’s color, hardness, chemical composition, crystalline structure, and so on. But medieval people were more interested in a stone’s magical powers.

[@leahrobinson7050]

Yup! Amethyst was for protection.

[@OcarinaSapphr-]

@@leahrobinson7050 And apparently it helped to prevent drunkenness... the more you know.

[@rei_cirith]

@@OcarinaSapphr- So give your daughters amethysts?

[@dappa4608]

@@rei_cirith They ground it up and put it in wine as well

[@acninee]

@@OcarinaSapphr- It helped prevent drunkenness and poisoning. There are tales of people drinking their wine from an amethyst goblet only to find a drop of poison frozen to the wall of the goblet after it had been drained!

[@mynameiscordelia]

She makes the subject so fascinating!

[@jonathanconnor8190]

It always amazes me how they made things like jewellery and swords with such intricate details without the use of modern technology!

[@lukethomas658]

I love you're putting this kind of content on KZbin, thank you.

[@Borrox2U]

The religious pictures engraved on each side of that ring are amazing in their detail.

[@BarbaraMerryGeng]

I love listening to these lectures presented by the British Museum. If my teachers were as interested in their subjects, I might have learned something in school . Thanks for posting .😆

[@JuliaMalvar]

@K Pee Not true...

[@julietfischer5056]

@K Pee - You've never been turned off of a subject because teachers or readers or fans made it sound boring or incomprehensible or otherwise undesirable? You were never bored in class because the teacher went through the motions? All the memorizing didn't make you disgusted with the whole process of learning? Either you had one hell of a support system or you are a paragon of all the virtues.

[@patriciabaker6060]

That’s for sure! I would have been smarter sooner!🧐

[@scarletpimpernelagain9124]

Juliet Fischer and to us average, flawed human beings unbearably pompous and patronising.

[@tauceti8341]

This is why I am in favor of home schooling, meet the curriculum while allowing your children to awake when they want, play when they want, and pursue the knowledge they want, when they want. I have been through the institutionalized torture they call schooling, and I will not make my child a corporate pawn.

[@juanvelez8564]

Beautiful rings. I wish that we had seen more.

[@tauceti8341]

How many corners does the brisitsh muesuem have? Why don't other museums have filmed curator corners? This is fascinating!

[@JakeDetects]

Cos we're British and got our heads screwed on

[@ricecoffee3968]

These are great insights into history. I am always amused at the riches of the Holy Church. More classrooms should include this and Phil Harding in their history sessions. This is alive history.

[@LQOTW]

I totally love geeking out on all things medieval. Thanks much for such an interesting video!

[@RyanFox85]

Holy mother of pearl! That sapphire is just stunning! I love the blue green ones!!!!!

[@FtonDavid]

Big fan of roleplaying games like Dungeon and Dragons, I sent this video to the handful of people that run such games, maybe treasure found by adventurers we play will be more historically accurate and have more flavour. Thank you for sharing.

[@duckrutt]

There are a LOT of things D&D gets wrong but I think most of them are rules issues (balance) and taking material from fantasy works rather than history. I can't say I blame them for doing it that way, it's an application of reality not being realistic in the minds of many. If you don't feel like doing a bunch of research on your own Fantasy Wargaming has a nice section on materials, numerology, astrology etc. It's been out of print for... lets call it awhile but copies are cheap and the last person I recommended it to found a scan online somewhere if that's your bag.

[@reiwolfsohn9513]

I’m loving all of these stories! Thank you! It’s funny, I always wanted a sapphire in the centre for a wedding ring, I like these associations. 😊💐

[@7ajhubbell]

It appears as though the reasons for wearing jewelry have remained constant throughout the ages. Thank you.

[@andien8760]

Really interesting! I wish the video was longer so I could learn more!

[@Syrkyth]

I've always enjoyed learning about the odd behaviors of past civilizations. One of my favourites are the wunderkammer - filled with treasures and tall tales in equal amounts by people with enough wealth and schooling that you'd think that they would have been able to tell the difference between the two. Not so much apparently.

[@Mazequax]

She's saying _fish tooth_ like it's the most normal thing.

[@JaneDoe-ci3gj]

Yea fish tooth for me is a normal thing. I guess it just depends on how much you know about fish.

[@scarletpimpernelagain9124]

Jane Doe 🥰

[@Ingrid0410]

Medieval jewelry is astounding! Thank you!

[@introverttaciturn4133]

I love ancient and medieval jewelries. If I have to buy one for myself, I'd buy jewelries that are not perfectly polished and looked raw, especially the rings exactly like from the old times such as these. 😍

[@carolsaia7401]

Look up Pave Jewlery in Oakland and Berkeley, CA Michael Erlich? does designs based on old, antique styles.

[@scarletpimpernelagain9124]

Ever thought about taking up jewellery making? You can get a similar effect with coloured copper wires, scrolling and gemstones plus the satisfaction of crafting something beautiful and unique that you can pass on to future generations.

[@scarletpimpernelagain9124]

Ever thought about taking up jewellery making? You can get a similar effect with coloured copper wires, scrolling and gemstones plus the satisfaction of crafting something beautiful and unique that you can pass on to future generations.

[@nobodysbaby5048]

They recently found a wedding ring that's absolutely stunning.

[@JD-yz2iz]

Great video. Would love to see more pieces and more up close, HD photos of them.

[@systlin2596]

This jewelry is all just exquisite! And this is fascinating. You have a wonderful job, to be able to work with, understand, and admire such lovely and meaningful works of art all day!

[@user-pt1cz4ot1e]

“The Middle Ages were magic!”

[@minimini550]

One simply cannot read that in a normal voice

[@troyh544]

Such an awesome video! Very interesting and informative :) Thanks Naomi.

[@alicekeene7165]

Really loved this tour of medevial jewelry. Thanks 😊

[@SparkieGoth]

Amy Speakman is so knowledgeable - and she seems really nice.

[@Rye_Toast]

I always figured all the gold and gems was a power move to display the church's wealth. Interesting that there's an actual reason for it, that would explain the opulence of the relics and objects I got to see in the Armory Museum in Moscow, talk about adornments!

[@istvansipos9940]

- sunbeams and moonbeams make pearls. PERIOD. - and how do you know this? I mean, what is you evid... - dude, which part of PERIOD don't you understand? I keep wondering how we survived all those dark centuries. But, at least, they made beautiful things. (and I give up: idk why this comment appeared double)

[@19Murad77]

... if only things had really changed. Despite tons of evidence (or lack of, for supernatural things) there is still so many people believing in fairy tales, humans living along the dinosaurs, the earth being flat, etc..

[@ishmaelforester9825]

That idea is of course far more ancient than the middle ages. The ocean (and everything in it) was associated with heavenly bodies (as everything distant or beneath) because it was imagined to surround their world, and the sun and moon and stars would plunge into it and arise from it, East to west (hence pearls, and precious stones and gems more generally) A lot of traditional belief and symbolism we find arbitary or nonsensical is based on this notion or derives from it. Its nonsense to us, but it is actually profoundly rational in that context. Relatively they had no idea about geology, geography or the mechanics of the solar system.

[@ishmaelforester9825]

In a way they were not entirely wrong, because no doubt current theory connects the moon and tides, for example. Think about it: to ancients, the heavenly bodies, signals for everything important, did quite literally dissappear over the horizon into the ocean and underground to return. This was a very important observation for them so their culture was soaked in it. So gems, including pearls? Must be something the heavens do as they cycle. It's actually quite rational.

[@DezMarivette]

Wow thank you for sharing these treasures! The craftsmanship is astounding and the cuts are remarkable. To think of doing all that smithing by sunlight or candlelight is crazy. Loved every moment of it! I too am a lover of making jewelry and precious stones.

[@Ingrid0410]

Thank you so much! This was beautiful!! Please do more videos on jewelry

[@dpereira1395]

I could listen to her tell this story forever. ☺️

[@lauren8809]

more Naomi Speakman, please!

[@carlagoncalves531]

Fascinating presentation. I so happy I discovered this channel. You are such a gifted teacher!

[@cosettadc8486]

Thank you Naomi for your video, it's very interesting, clear and accurate. You could make others on old jewellery 🤩

[@skyfrostthunderrock]

the more things change, the more they stay the same. great video! thanks for sharing!

[@hathawyn]

The fact that these still exist in this state of conservation literally over five centuries later is exactly why people still see jewelry as investments

[@carianin5293]

This is fascinating. Also amazing is the beautiful and intricate work that went into making these beautiful pieces. Thanks for sharing!

[@Dirtbag-Hyena]

Especially considering the time. Those guys were masters of art. Amazing and breathtaking. I think old world things(cars,firearms,clothing,jewelry,ect)are way more facinating & beautiful works of art versus modern-day. Amazing these little pieces are still around,& to be able to hold them..What an awesome job.

[@carianin5293]

I agree with you completely!

[@cecillebarone9252]

Love the color of the Pearls/grey,blue a bit irregular I see on old paintings Love this video!!

[@dangerspouse4741]

At 1:22 isn't that the Thorn Reliquary described in an episode of BM's "A History of the World in 100 Objects"? Fantastic stuff. Thanks for another brilliant episode!

[@aking3624]

The toadstone aka: fossilized fish tooth is amazing!! 😃

[@Pressity1]

Oooh! Excellent recommendation by the Almighty KZbin algorithm! Museum, history, England, uh-take-my-subscription-now! This is most certainly intriguing to this Anglophile history buff!

[@BeeKool__113]

What a splendidly fascinating video! I love all the symbolism behind each piece. Very interesting history and some exquisite pieces. I quite enjoyed listening to Naomi Speakman’s lecture.

[@piedwagtailrameau]

Fascinating insight into these beautiful works of art...

[@hoolydooly5799]

i confess I have watched this many times, as I have the other videos from other curators, collections managers and restorers. Thank you Naomi.

[@monicacall7532]

Fascinating! Thanks for this video. Please put more videos like this one out!

[@Carol-D.1324]

Informative and fascinating! Thank you for your video! I’m hooked!

[@suecox2308]

How lovely and fascinating--thank you!

[@Tyler.i.81]

I'm impressed with your curators British museum they are all beautiful ladies showing us beautiful artifacts.

[@1killeragogo]

I love your channel, thank you for bringing this and your expertise to the world of KZbin.

[@77heraclitus]

quite intriguing! Thank you Naomi.

[@daniellezykowska981]

This was so enjoyable and well done too.

[@alexandrasmith4393]

I loved the programme, especially your point about artists/craftsmen trying to make a 'heaven on earth' picture with their materials. In scripture there are various visions of Heaven which usually speak about the sapphire floor and throne of God. Someone pointed out recently in an article about the stones of the High Priest''s Breastplate that the stone originally would have been Lapis Lazuli as it is a beautiful blue with gold flecks in it.

[@Krawurxus]

A very interesting and educational video, and it made me feel really smart as well when I instantly knew that the guy with the sword in his head inside a church was a depiction of the murder and martyrdom of Thomas Beckett in Canterbury Cathedral... even though I'm not religious or British.

[@HeardFromMeFirst]

It's now September the 6th 2021... It's one o'clock in the morning, and due to a late dinner, I'm having trouble getting back to sleep, I saw this little video, and as I have an interest in History in General. .I thought I'd give it a look, (I subscribed over a year ago). I found it absolutely fascinating, and added to my history hunger, and now I am compelled to catch up with some more..Bang goes my Sleep... Thank you. 💜

[@janeperanteau6129]

Fascinating! And well done.

[@susanhepburn6040]

Fascinating and very informative. Thank you very much.

[@lenafranklin7262]

Nice to learn the history of these rings. I adore crystals and we all still use them for amulet, health, and other reasons! Nothing much has changed in that regard

[@paillette2010]

Love this!! Thank you!!

[@thefilmtube659]

So insightful and (a)I 'm sure that wasn't all, (a)I would love to see a series on this subject, with Ms Speakman!

[@daveha5783]

4:54 she sounds like she’s singing! Loved her narration throughout the video but this part really made me happy

[@norrieblackeby1041]

Love it! Thank you!

[@ChrisPeck-niganma]

Jolly good. Even us fereners can't help but be captivated by her presentation. As with all of these curator's corners, she combines knowledge with passion for the subject to contextualize the artifacts with a narrative arc that has cross-cultural appeal.

[@elyset911]

This curator is absolutely fabulous! What an interesting talk.

[@jessicabey275]

So fascinating !

[@daninb8939]

I really liked it thank you so much!

[@kylecolgan5242]

So creative! People got some skills.

[@PRMoody78]

Lovely, thank you!

[@katiekat4457]

I love looking at things like this.

[@inessamaria2428]

Fascinating topic.

[@-pyrosef-]

Interesting! I've never thought about medieval jewelry. Thank you for sharing

[@arturoe6957]

Such beauty.

[@pamelacorbett8774]

We need more like this! 😍

[@LucasBorioMakeUp]

More of this jewelery please

[@lucindabean1646]

Exactly why I clicked on, to find out what a Toadstone is. I was so pleased that you did closeups of the etchings but disappointed that you didn’t do the same for the stones. Fascinating information though!

[@gringagarbo7508]

Wonderful video!! Thank you & please, more like it?!

[@nocturnefaust3500]

“Diamonds have a very clear connection with purity.” Was that a pun?! Lol

[@leeboriack8054]

Diamonds represent purity, oh what some people will do to get diamonds. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge....

[@TsetsiStoyanova]

I love this Art

[@markanthonymarla]

I am partial to Star Sapphires, to me they are exquisite .. and my birthstone ... This is a wonderful lecture class

[@scarymonsterer]

fascinating-so many questions thx for putting this together

[@infinitecuriosity9210]

Can't I please make a suggestion in filming, We want to see the jewelry while your explaining the information. Keep it in the tray, still close up shot anduse a pointed object to point out details, not a gloved hand, it gets in the way.

[@gh0st_0f_b0b_chandler]

Why is she using gloves to handle precious metal anyway?

[@FlourescentPotato]

@@gh0st_0f_b0b_chandler why not?

[@EleanorPeterson]

@@gh0st_0f_b0b_chandler - Bare fingers are abrasive. If the gold is pure it will be soft and will wear away over the years. Not quickly, but it'll happen. Silver tarnishes. Pearls are soft, absorbent, and easily stained. Jewellery with mounted stones is full of cracks and crevices which will gradually fill with dust, dirt and perspiration if handled without gloves. These are museum pieces. Dirt requires cleaning, which causes further wear and damage, so it's best not to get things covered in crud in the first place. As a curator it's her job to preserve artefacts for future generations, so people and scholars 500 years from now will be able to examine a ring or brooch that's in exactly the same condition it was in 900 years previously, and not something that's been degraded by time and incompetent museum staff.

[@EleanorPeterson]

Hi K T! I understand your point, but I think these videos are really more of an excuse to put some of the museum's ordinarily unseen people in the spotlight rather than to present a detailed review of the items they look after. Yes, it'd be nice if the camera spent more time on the artefacts. But maybe it's best to see this KZbin stuff as a teaser to get more peeps into the museum to inspect things for themselves. That's not practical for most of us, rather frustrating, and certainly not fair... but when's life ever been fair, eh? ;-)

[@grottoserpentina9342]

@KT: Totally agree. And I found the loose fitting/wrinkly blue nitrile/latex gloves very distracting. Would have been better to wear the thin white cotton gloves worn by curators for flipping through antique books etc. Or better/tight fitting black nitrile/latex gloves. The jewelry would contrast better against black.

[@crawdadds]

So interesting! Thank you

[@malorie8557]

What I love about the icon ring, is that the diamond is raw cut. If I see it correctly, there are shades, lines of black and not completely clear. This is coming back in the ring industry and what my engagment ring is made of.

[@steevemartial4084]

Great video as always. I'd love a video about posy rings too.

[@catoelder4696]

Thanks for sharing that!

[@brandyb2931]

Sapphire's are so beautiful, that was a large one with a beautiful blue color when the light hit it.

[@nomine4027]

Agreed. The filter of blue and green through the light is truly breathtaking.

[@zaikoji]

Fascinating!

[@GinnyLantern]

Thank you so much, that was really interesting.

[@danb7601]

Fascinating! But the best pearl to survive the middle ages is still the poem! :)

[@chairde]

Wow this is especially interesting for me because here in the USA we just don’t have anything even close to this wonderful history. The craftsmanship is stunning.

[@johnmiddleton4291]

The history of Europe is also the history of the US. It's the same as the history of Rome being the history of Europe.

[@redmanish]

JW McCabe Only if you don’t consider Native American history to be the history of our land, which I do.

[@Borrox2U]

If your of European descent it's also part of your history too.

[@beth7935]

I do consider Indigenous Australian history to be the history of our land- the vast majority of its history! I don't consider it part of my personal history tho, as all my ancestors came from Europe. So I see European history up til 150-200 years ago as part of my history. I mean, the convict system is part of British history, & I wouldn't exist without it! :D

[@beth7935]

@@Borrox2U I love your username! So cute!

[@kimworkman2425]

Really enjoyed this

[@dancingcolorsVdeRegil]

So, I love these pieces and please offer us more, more more!! ha! Seeing these pieces is fascinating. I was just watching a Historic Drama (with alot of fiction added in) and as usual critiquing the jewellery. Same period as these, and wondering how they came to make or find the pieces on the actors. All of the stones were cabachons, nothing faceted. But as you discuss the diamond, I also would imagine that some other stones were being minmally faceted too. The pearls though, did you mean to say that they are usually lost from the jewellery because of the nature of their being generally soft, or did you mean that they were often lost due to the way they were attatched? Anyway, it's just semantics. I loved seeing that intricate design and also the pearls. The idea that they were connected tp purity is funny because they form from an impurity being inside the shell! Thanks so much! I hope to get to see more ancient jewellery!

[@cynthiameans]

Very interesting. I'm fascinated by the detail in the jewelry considering they didn't have any modern tools as we do today. I guess it shows how skillful they were and creative with what they had.

[@marszenka]

Such a cool video! I love gems, jewelry, the medieval world, and the British Museum. This one was right up my alley. :) Thanks for posting it.

[@robertschlesinger1342]

Very interesting ans worthwhile video.

[@martabachynsky8545]

Medieval jewelry is so much prettier than that which is made today.

[@Ingrid0410]

Marta Bachynsky yes it is! Even replicas are more beautiful! If you watch any fashion bloggers they all wear and advertise the same plain boring stuff

[@rexengineeringgearmotors1278]

Very interesting!