Jewelry from Ancient Egypt to Pasadena, California

In the Roemer und Pelizaeus Museum in Egypt, there sits some of the  first known examples of jewelry constructed from golden wire.  This piece was made for an Egyptian princess in a time where there were no wire manufacturers, so the artisans pounded thin strips of pure gold and rolled them into wire.  After this arduous process, they then wove the golden wire into the jewelry design you see here.  It would be discovered centuries later, ultimately to be enjoyed within the museum’s collection of rare artifacts.

The art of sculpting wire into jewelry was largely disregarded until the Victorian age when wire sculpted (aka wire wrapped) jewelry became the rage.  This was largely due to new manufacturing processes that made it possible to create rolled gold wire.  14kt gold sheets were laid out and rolled over a base wire, such  jewelers brass and bonded together with heat.  The result is a wire covered with a thick jacket of 14kt gold that comprises 20% of the total mass of the wire.  This allowed wire wrapping artists in the Victorian age to enjoy the luxury of fine gold jewelry at a fraction of the cost.  Jewelry pieces from this era still show little visible signs of wear and show beautifully.  Victorian artisans made some spectacularly wonderful items, but with time, the art was lost and only a handful of people carried the techniques forward through the generations.

This unique craft though is making a comeback in Pasadena, California, of all places.  Internationally known as the city that hosts the News Years Day Rose Parade, it now also can boast a new store called ElizaWire Jewelry Designs which is carrying on the ancient art of wire sculpted jewelry.  This style of jewelry is also referred to as wire wrap jewelry, but artist, Elizabeth Smith, owner of ElizaWire Jewelry, prefers to describe her work as wire sculpting because it’s a more accurate reflection of her work.  According to her, “wire wrapped jewelry is really only the technique that literally wraps a gemstone in place with little decoration or design, but sculpted wire design incorporates artistic twists and turns of the wire itself to make a unique design that will showcase the gemstone.”

The new store has opened up within Pasadena’s Premier Jewelry Mall in the Playhouse district of the city, next to the Paseo Colorado shopping/theater/dining complex.  The store’s is located in the historic Pacific Southwest Trust & Savings Bank building which features marble floors, and ornately decorated high ceilings, with sky lights.  Their grand opening corresponds to the opening of their new website, ElizaWire.com , as well.  There they plan to showcase their latest creations available for sale in the store, and on-line as well.  

The new store is located at 230 E. Colorado Blvd., Booth # C12, Pasadena, California, 91101.  Hours of operation are from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM Tuesday through Thursday and from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM Friday through Saturday.  Closed on Sunday and Monday.

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