My Jewellery, My Story
My Jewellery, My Story is an exciting project exploring local people’s connection to jewellery having been inspired by a beautiful Bronze Age necklace discovered in the small village of Cossington in Leicestershire.
The Culture Leicestershire team supports outreach within local communities and works with them to share their unique heritage and culture. The My Jewellery, My Story project is part of our audience development work at Charnwood Museum.
Background to the Cossington necklace
Local archaeologists uncovered an Early Bronze Age burial site in the village of Cossington in the 1990s. The site contained a flint knife and an extremely rare and high-status necklace dated to c. 1750 – 1450 BC – making it nearly 4000 years old! Its beads, made from amber, Whitby jet, faience (a type of early glass) and shale, show the people of Cossington were part of long-distance trade routes, including the Baltic which is the nearest source of amber.
The materials used to make the necklace had ‘otherworldly’ qualities such as electrostatic powers, giving the item, and by association the wearer, perceived supernatural protection. Composite necklaces may have also acquired special meaning by being assembled from heirloom beads.
The necklace has recently been conserved and work is underway to devise new interpretation for when this item goes on permanent display in Charnwood Museum.
Let’s get things underway…!
We are pleased to announce that we have successfully recruited talented local creative practitioners to deliver this exciting project. They will be working together to co-deliver a combination of wonderfully creative workshops including giant bead-making and creative writing workshops! Themes will include:
My Jewellery, My Story: stories of the meanings attached to jewellery (sentimental, religious, financial, historical, political): participants will be invited to remember and share personal stories of jewellery they own and the meaning it holds for them.
Lost & Found: the Cossington necklace lay in the ground in Leicestershire for centuries. Using the story of how it and other treasures were discovered, participants will be asked to think about how these things might have become lost in the first place, what they tell us about the people who owned them and to relate these things to their own experiences with jewellery – lost, found and otherwise.
From There to Here – elements of the Cossington necklace were brought together from across Britain and beyond and could be considered a metaphor for the people of Leicestershire themselves. Like the necklace, we’re all incomers to the county – whether our families arrived in the Bronze Age, to fill its factories in the industrial revolution or arrived here to work in more recent times. Participants will be encouraged to think about the journey of those beads and the people who brought them here, as well as personal/family experiences of coming to and/or living in the county.
Famous Jewellery from History – there are many famous pieces of jewellery in existence, each with an associated story; the Koh-I-Noor diamond, Marie Antoinette’s necklace, King Richard’s Yorkist wild boar, the jewellery of the Hallaton Hoard and other finds. We’ll use these stories – and issues they may raise – as inspiration for stories of meaning, power and anything else the discussions about them may prompt.
Theme 5: Magical Meanings and Symbolism: curses, protective charms and holy relics. Writing prompted by myths, legends, cultural and religious beliefs about specific items of jewellery and participants own stories of things they may own, wear or give as gifts to ‘protect’ their loved ones.
There will be an opportunity for everyone to get involved with our mini-works competition and have their voices heard, so watch this space or email culture@leics.gov.uk to find out more.
