Symbolic jewelry: In jewelry, there is a long tradition of symbolic or emblematic design. When Louis IX married Marguerite of Provence, he commissioned a ring that twined daisies (marguerites, in French) with lilies (the emblem of the Kingdom of France). Acrostic jewelry has long been popular as well. In acrostic jewelry, the names of gems are used to spell out a word. For example, in English, a ring set with a Diamond, Emerald, Amethyst, and Ruby would give DEAR. Emerald, Lapis, Lapis, and Amethyst would spell ELLA. Rebus is a Latin word, meaning by things. A rebus, therefore, is a pictorial representation of a phrase, name, or expression created by things. One common lapidary rebus is a brooch shaped a crescent moon, sometimes with a diamond 'dripped' from the top horn, sometimes with a jeweled bee or flower nestled in the crescent. In either case, the rebus gives us Honeymoon. |
