LECTURE SYNOPSES
NB for NAFAS: (S) Denotes also available as a Study Day/Day of Special Interest
All presentations are richly illustrated in PowerPoint, using photos from private collections, museums, and some macrophotography.
Study Days/Days of Special Interest cover the subjects in more depth, and participants are encouraged to bring along samples for discussion.
Gems from Life – from Flies to Elephants (S)
Flies are found embedded in ancient ambers, and elephants have given us ivory.
Organic gem materials include amber, horn, tortoiseshell, ivory, pearl, shell and coral. They have been used for many thousands of years as adornment – both personal adornment in the form of jewellery, and for decorating our surroundings as carvings and furniture inlay.
The talk will be an introduction to the different materials and their various uses, and touch on their origins. Mention will also be made of current trade bans, and how to identify some fakes.
The presentation in no way condones the use of materials from protected species today.
Amber – Past Uses and Present Fakes
Amber has been carved and traded for thousands of years. The talk will look at the different types of amber to be found world-wide, and how they have been used. Mention will be made of how amber forms, how it is mined, and of the modern treatments used to enhance it. The talk will also cover imitations and fakes, and some tips will be given on how to recognise them.
From Frozen Forests to Reindeer – Gems from Life. (Christmas lecture) (S)
This talk is an introduction to organic gem materials, similar to the ‘Gems from Life – from Flies to Elephants’ and ‘An Introduction to Organic Gem, Materials – Amber, Ivory and Others’ talks, but, with the use of illustrations appropriate to the time of year, it is given a seasonal slant.
An Introduction to Organic Gem Materials – Amber, Ivory and Others. (S)
Organic gem materials occur world-wide, and can be seen in some form or another in museums everywhere. We also have them in our homes.
Similar to the ‘Gems from Life’ talk, this talk is an introduction to the world of organic gem materials: where they can be seen, how they have been used through the ages, fakes, and current trade bans.
Ivory and Tortoiseshell – Past Uses and Present Bans
Ivory and tortoiseshell (turtle shell) are two organic gem materials that today are highly emotive subjects. They have often been used together, and today they share very similar trade bans.
The talk will look at the use of the two materials through the ages, the animals from which they are derived, some of the imitations that have been used, and how to recognise fakes.
The presentation in no way condones the use of ivory or tortoiseshell today.
The Lure of Ivory (S)
Ivory is today a very emotive subject, however it is part of our world history and culture, and as such is worth studying. Mention will be made of the current trade bans covering ivories, and of the current conservation and poaching situations.
Ivory has been carved for 40,000 years. Its trade goes back thousands of years. Different cultures world-wide have revered it, and it has been widely used for religious carvings. It has also been used for many more commonplace items, from piano keys to dentures. The talk will look at lure of ivory through the ages, its many and varied uses, and how to recognise ivories from different species, for example elephant, walrus and whale — and their fakes.
The presentation in no way condones the use of ivory today.
A Dewdrop from Heaven – Pearls and Shells
The use of shells goes back thousands of years and is world-wide. Shells have been used for everything from money to decoration.
Pearls have also been highly valued by many cultures through the ages, and used to adorn everything from trinkets to thrones, as well as people.
The talk looks at old and modern uses of pearls and shells. Mention will be made of how they form, and how pearls are cultured, or faked.
Feathers, horns and Turtle Shells
Feathers, horn, and turtle shell (tortoiseshell) are different forms of the same material called ‘keratin’, and all have been used for thousands of years as adornment, both of ourselves and our surroundings. They have sometimes signified status - as in tribal chiefs' feathered head-dresses, and also been pure luxury - as in tortoiseshell-veneered furniture.
The talk does not condone the use of tortoiseshell today as it derives from endangered marine turtles.
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Copyright 2007 MaggieCampbell Pedersen. All rights reserve.
LECTURE SYNOPSES
Ivory and Tortoiseshell – Past Uses and Present Bans
Ivory and tortoiseshell (turtle shell) are two organic gem materials that today are highly emotive subjects. They have often been used together, and today they share very similar trade bans.
The talk will look at the use of the two materials through the ages, the animals from which they are derived, some of the imitations that have been used, and how to recognise fakes.
The presentation in no way condones the use of ivory or tortoiseshell today.
The Lure of Ivory (S)
Ivory is today a very emotive subject, however it is part of our world history and culture, and as such is worth studying. Mention will be made of the current trade bans covering ivories, and of the current conservation and poaching situations.
Ivory has been carved for 40,000 years. Its trade goes back thousands of years. Different cultures world-wide have revered it, and it has been widely used for religious carvings. It has also been used for many more commonplace items, from piano keys to dentures. The talk will look at lure of ivory through the ages, its many and varied uses, and how to recognise ivories from different species, for example elephant, walrus and whale — and their fakes.
The presentation in no way condones the use of ivory today.
A Dewdrop from Heaven – Pearls and Shells
The use of shells goes back thousands of years and is world-wide. Shells have been used for everything from money to decoration.
Pearls have also been highly valued by many cultures through the ages, and used to adorn everything from trinkets to thrones, as well as people.
The talk looks at old and modern uses of pearls and shells. Mention will be made of how they form, and how pearls are cultured, or faked.
Feathers, horns and Turtle Shells
Feathers, horn, and turtle shell (tortoiseshell) are different forms of the same material called ‘keratin’, and all have been used for thousands of years as adornment, both of ourselves and our surroundings. They have sometimes signified status - as in tribal chiefs' feathered head-dresses, and also been pure luxury - as in tortoiseshell-veneered furniture.
The talk does not condone the use of tortoiseshell today as it derives from endangered marine turtles.
Gems from Life – from Flies to Elephants (S)
Flies are found embedded in ancient ambers, and elephants have given us ivory.
Organic gem materials include amber, horn, tortoiseshell, ivory, pearl, shell and coral. They have been used for many thousands of years as adornment – both personal adornment in the form of jewellery, and for decorating our surroundings as carvings and furniture inlay.
The talk will be an introduction to the different materials and their various uses, and touch on their origins. Mention will also be made of current trade bans, and how to identify some fakes.
The presentation in no way condones the use of materials from protected species today.
Amber – Past Uses and Present Fakes
Amber has been carved and traded for thousands of years. The talk will look at the different types of amber to be found world-wide, and how they have been used. Mention will be made of how amber forms, how it is mined, and of the modern treatments used to enhance it. The talk will also cover imitations and fakes, and some tips will be given on how to recognise them.
From Frozen Forests to Reindeer – Gems from Life. (Christmas lecture) (S)
This talk is an introduction to organic gem materials, similar to the ‘Gems from Life – from Flies to Elephants’ and ‘An Introduction to Organic Gem, Materials – Amber, Ivory and Others’ talks, but, with the use of illustrations appropriate to the time of year, it is given a seasonal slant.
An Introduction to Organic Gem Materials – Amber, Ivory and Others. (S)
Organic gem materials occur world-wide, and can be seen in some form or another in museums everywhere. We also have them in our homes.
Similar to the ‘Gems from Life’ talk, this talk is an introduction to the world of organic gem materials: where they can be seen, how they have been used through the ages, fakes, and current trade bans.
NB for The Arts Society: (S) Denotes also available as a Study Day/Day of Special Interest
All presentations are richly illustrated in PowerPoint, using photos from private collections, museums, and some macrophotography.
Study Days/Days of Special Interest cover the subjects in more depth, and participants are encouraged to bring along samples for discussion.