FOR FOUR decades, Vogue jewel lery editor Carol Woolton has immersed herself in the world o the baubles that define us, remaining a big believer that small objects tell big stories. "Jewellery bears our meaning in perpetuity," insists the woman who has adorned countless celebrities for fashion shoots under three Vogue editors and, in the process, become the global go-to expert on the art and culture of personal treasure.
She may have handled some of the most luxurious and costly pieces ever made, dripping with diamonds and other precious stones, but among Carol's particular favourites - due to their immense historical provenance - are the 100,000-year-old shell beads discovered in the Skhul Cave archeological site on Israel's Mediterranean coast in the early half of the 20th century.
"They are too tiny to have been collected as food, and the human-made perforation in the shells has been done deliberately to string and wear decoratively," she says. This shows early signs of organised human behaviour as well as how personal ornaments are powerful tools to communicate the way people used to live. Diamonds might be a "girl's best friend", as Marilyn Monroe sang in the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, but jewellery is also a link connecting past to present. "Every civilisation has divulged its secrets through surviving adornments left behind in burial sites," says Carol.
Arcane traditions and insights into social history underscore the history of the bling that defines us. For instance, in 13th-century England, the Catholic Church banned ear piercing claiming it unduly altered one's appearance as created by God.
This story is from the September 25, 2024 edition of Daily Express.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 25, 2024 edition of Daily Express.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Tonali again talk of Toon as main man repays faith
SANDRO TONALI has waited 17 months to set Newcastle alightand his double strike sent the Geordies into the last four of the Carabao Cup.
Jesus is the saviour as clinical hat-trick completes comeback
BIG GUNS ALSO KEY TO RECOVERY
Rocky road to Australia
YOUNG FLINTOFF IS A LION
ELLIOTT GETS A KICK-START
Fit-again Harvey strikes and Nunez scores too as holders survive fightback from Saints
UK spies 'foiled plot to kill Pope'
BRITISH intelligence thwarted a deadly assassination attempt on Pope Francis during a trip to Iraq, it has been revealed.
1.9m-meal miracle keeps needy from going hungry
TESCO chief executive Ken Murphy has applauded the generosity of loyal shoppers who helped donate 1.9 million meals to the needy this Christmas.
Tax-dodging Tate brothers slapped with £2million fine
SOCIAL media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan were yesterday fined more than £2million for tax evasion.
Dementia support line ready for surge in calls
A DEMENTIA charity has predicted a surge in calls to its support line in the new year after families notice symptoms in loved ones during Christmas parties.
Russian arrest in hunt for assassin
RUSSIA has arrested a man suspected of the deadly bomb attack that killed a top general.
Trucking dynasty founder dies at 95
Iconic firm won loads of fans who 'spotted' lorry names