Gender and Jewelry: A Feminist Analysis

Rebecca Ross Russell

Rebecca Ross Russell, 2010 - Feminism and art - 140 pages

Jewelry responds to our most primitive urges, for control, honor, and sex. It is at once the most ancient and most immediate of art forms, one that is defined by its connection and interaction with the body. In this sense it is inescapably political, its meaning bound to the possibilities of the body it lies on. Indeed, the fate of the body is often bound to the jewelry. This study looks at gender and jewelry in order to gain some understanding into how jewelry is constructed by and constructs not just a single society, but human societies. It will explore how societal traditions that have sprung up around jewelry and ornamentation have affected the possibilities available to women across a broad spectrum of social and ethnic circumstances, determining which have served women well and which are constrictive and destructive. It also examines the possibilities for the intentional creation of feminist jewelry, including an overview of the author's own work.

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Contents

• 11 Introduction: 1
• 12 Theories of Adornment: 2
• 13 Argument: 5
• 14 Scope and Format: 6
• 15 Frames Overview: 9
• 21 Ownership and Incapacitation Introduction: 12
• Niger Anklets: 13
• 23 Ownership and Incapacitation Survey: 17
• Indian WifeWidow Jewelry: 29
• 25 Ownership and Incapacitation Conclusions: 32
• 3 1 Gendered Honor and Status Introduction: 36
• Headhunter Jewelry: 37
• 33 Gendered Honor and Status Survey: 40
• Diamond Engagement Rings: 50
• 35 Gendered Honor and Status Conclusions: 55
• 41 Physical and Conceptual Empowerment Introduction: 57
• Holocaust Jewelry: 58
• 43 Physical and Conceptual Empowerment Survey: 61
• Madeleine Albright: 77
• 45 Physical and Conceptual Empowerment Conclusions: 80
• 51 Introduction to Intersectional Case Studies: 83
• Palestinian Inheritance: 86
• Western Body Piercing: 89
• 61 Feminist Jewelry Introduction: 93
• 62 Explicit Discussion of Gender: 95
• 63 Problematizing of Specific Practices: 98
• 64 As Source of Alternative Narrative: 100
• 65 Jewelry for the WearerSubversion of the Gaze: 106
• 66 Conclusions: 109
• Appendix I: 111
• Appendix II: 124

About the author

Rebecca Ross Russell is a graduate of Tufts University's prestigious combined degree program in conjunction with the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, graduating with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in metalworking and jewelry and a Bachelor's of Arts with a major in Women's Studies. This project grew out of an ongoing process of questioning the societal underpinnings of her chosen medium, one she has worked in since her early teenage years. It is her deeply held hope that this will serve as an invitation for more critical reflection, from the scholarly community as well as from conscientious jewelers, on the origins of jewelry traditions and on the political and social statements (often unconsciously) conveyed through choice of adornment.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Gender and Jewelry: A Feminist Analysis
• Author: Rebecca Ross Russell
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Rebecca Ross Russell, 2010
• ISBN: 1452882533, 9781452882536
• Length: 140 pages