I was able to study and handle more of the jewellery collection. I am absolutely fascinated by so many of the things I see. Strange constructions, unusual ear wires, great side snaps, exquisitely simple rings of beautiful proportion that have been worn for so long they have become thin and tell of the passage of time and the hands that wore them.
I feel like a visual voracious beast, consuming information about everything I see. I metaphorically lick my lips in immense satisfaction at the end of a session where I have handled jewellery from the collection.
I am particularly fascinated by the English seed-pearl pieces, c 1820 where the pearls were attached by horsehair. The front looks perfectly organised but the back looks as though a confused spider has spun a crazy web all over it. I find myself increasingly interested by the alternative message communicated by the reverse of some pieces.