Application of Knitting Crafts in Jewelry

Contemporary jewelry design has long been the "leader" in the design field, and the wide application of various materials has given new life to jewelry design, which was originally famous for precious metals and gems. Different from traditional jewelry design, contemporary jewelry design has made a new attempt while inheriting the tradition, breaking the original fixed mode and adding more artificial thinking elements, so that the works are no longer cold, but flesh and blood like life. In the development of contemporary jewelry design, knitting technology also has a new look and attempt, and the collision between tradition and modernity has sparked a new spark. The combination of ancient technology and new materials, new methods and old materials may bring wonderful feelings. This paper summarizes the application and development of knitting technology in jewelry design.

Knitting technology, as one of the oldest technologies, has a deep connection with jewelry wearing since the beginning of human origin, and has been used in jewelry processing and design long ago. Today, knitting technology has developed, not only in people's daily life, but also in the development of art in new forms. For example, the concept of "fiber art" is rooted in the ancient weaving art, which refers to the creation of plane or three-dimensional art with various fibers as materials through traditional or modern techniques, which is a unified embodiment of practicality and appreciation. This includes not only traditional dyed fabrics, such as carpets and tapestries, but also modern wall hangings, soft sculptures and fiber installations. Whether in China or in western countries, we can see the influence and application of knitting elements in the process of "haute couture" jewelry to fashion jewelry and art jewelry, which shows that traditional knitting technology still plays an important role in contemporary jewelry design.

1. Materials used in knitting technology in jewelry design

(1) rope line

In the jewelry design of knot modeling, the application of rope thread is more common. For example, Chinese knots are made of a large number of ropes with different materials and thicknesses, and different colors of ropes are combined to make beautiful knots with different meanings. The advantages of rope weaving are low cost, simple weaving method, short time consumption and easy control of rope. The disadvantage is that it cannot be stored for a long time, and the color on the rope will fade with the change of time and environment.

(2) hair

Knitting hair was a very popular behavior among Victorian women. In the eyes of women at that time, there was nothing more satisfying than knitting hair for the person you love. At that time, braiding was as popular as traditional crocheting. Some of them were directly used in jewelry at that time, such as watch chains, bracelets and earrings, while others needed to be reworked by craftsmen and embedded in various ornaments. The commemorative significance of braided jewelry is far greater than the decorative significance, and it belongs to "commemorative jewelry".

(3) metal

Metal materials for jewelry can be roughly divided into two categories, namely precious metal materials and non-precious metal materials. Precious metal materials include gold, silver and platinum. Non-precious metal materials include copper, zinc, iron, aluminum and their alloys. Among them, gold, silver and platinum are indispensable materials in jewelry design. Because of its rare content, good heat resistance, high stability and easy storage, it has been an ideal jewelry material for thousands of years, such as gold, silver and various "K gold" (22K, 18K, 14K, 10K) in jewelry weaving process. For example, the ring in figure 1 is used in knitting technology, because the hardness of gold and silver is not high, which is beneficial to manual knitting. Other "K gold" is much more difficult to make jewelry by hand because of its high hardness.

Figure 1 Knitting process ring

(4) Other materials.

In modern times, diversified social and cultural life makes the development of jewelry not stick to a certain fixed form. The use of jewelry materials adds many seemingly unrelated elements, such as cement, paper, ceramics, plastics, and even discarded daily necessities. These new materials expand the material range of modern jewelry design, endow jewelry with more possibilities and bring us more unique visual and tactile experiences.

Second, the elements of knitting technology used in jewelry design

(a) knot elements

1. Chinese knot

Chinese knot is a kind of knitting technology with China characteristics, which is deeply loved by people because of its auspicious meaning, simple technology and cheap materials. From the "knotting notes" in Paleolithic Age to the present decorative techniques, it embodies the wisdom and affection of ancient China civilization. Today, Chinese knots are still widely used in jewelry design in China. With the broadening of design ideas, Chinese knots and their combination with jade and precious metals appear in modern jewelry design, which has a strong oriental charm.

2. The knot of Hercules

In addition to Chinese knots, jewelry with the design elements of Hercules knots has also been passed down to this day. This simple knot can be traced back to more than 2000 BC. It is said to be an amulet of the ancient Egyptians and was used for jewelry decoration in ancient Greece. Perhaps it is because the output of precious metals in ancient Europe was relatively high. Unlike Chinese knots, Heracles knots have been used in precious metal jewelry since their popularity. Jewelry with Heracles knot elements unearthed all over Europe is basically made of precious metals. Simple and generous pure gold bracelets, luxurious headdresses and necklaces inlaid with precious stones and gold beads all reflect the charming charm of Hercules' knot.

bow

Bow ties are developed from bow ties, and the prototype of bow ties existed in Europe thousands of years ago. In the seventeenth century, gentlemen in western Europe began to wear handmade lace belts between their collars. It is said that due to the constant wars in Europe at that time, in a war in Prussia, Croatian soldiers put scarves around their necks to fix the neckline of their shirts. After seeing it, Louis XIV, King of Bourbon in France, had a brainwave and designed and took the lead in using butterfly bow ties. /kloc-At the end of 0/9th century, at grand banquets, bows were regarded as the only orthodox neckline dresses, which were worn by men. With the progress of technology and the change of aesthetic trend, the end of the bow is getting longer and longer, and it gradually evolves into a tie. Exquisite and charming bows are also the darling of major jewelry brands.

(2) Weaving elements

1. Fabric weaving

Weaving is a process in which warp yarns and weft yarns are interwoven with each other according to the fabric structure to produce yarns in both longitudinal and transverse directions. According to the types of raw materials, it is divided into cotton fabrics, wool fabrics, silk fabrics and hemp fabrics. Knitting is a process in which various materials and raw materials are formed into loops with knitting needles and then strung together to form knitted fabrics. There are two kinds of knitting: hand knitting and machine knitting. Hand-knitting uses a stick needle, which has a long history and is easy to master, and is very popular with the public. Knitting is skillfully combined with gold and silver thread in jewelry. Gold and silver, as materials that reflect the texture of jewelry alone, are rare. The soft texture of the fabric and the luster of gold and silver just produce a unique aesthetic feeling. Sara Shahak, a jewelry designer from Tel Aviv, Israel, likes to use knitting technology to reflect the structure and texture of jewelry. Although the color of gold and silver silk thread is too single, the diversification of weaving technology has unexpectedly produced unique effects. The application of techniques such as density contrast, warp and weft crossing, interweaving masking and thickness contrast makes the weaving plane form a relief-like artistic effect. Sara Shahak also adds gems to her knitting, which makes her jewelry works have a mysterious exotic feeling.

Shuttle weaving is a fabric in which two or more groups of mutually perpendicular yarns are driven by shuttles to pass through warp openings that open and close up and down to form a cross structure, and warp yarns and weft yarns are interwoven at a 90-degree angle.

2. Metal weaving

"Weaving gold and carving gold" is an ancient technology popular in the Renaissance. Through the unique carving technology on precious metals, the metal surface presents a delicate and soft fabric visual texture. Extremely exquisite carving patterns give jewelry a texture as light as gauze and a silky touch, and now it is brought back to the public by the Italian jewelry brand Buccellati. This Italian jewelry brand, founded in 19 19, has conquered the world with its fine processing technology, unique weaving style and artistic atmosphere full of historical weight.

This unique technology makes Buqilati's "weaving and carving gold" jewelry "unique" because it takes a lot of time and is almost demanding on craftsmen. Buzirati didn't stop there. They combined gem and metal technology, and applied colored gems to the design.

Filament inlay is a traditional gold and silver craft in China, also known as refined gold craft. It began in the Spring and Autumn Period and reached its peak in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Mainly manifested in two processes: filigree and inlay, filigree is bone and inlay is decoration. When it comes to filigree, we have to mention the filial piety queen Guan Feng unearthed in Dingling. This precious cultural relic was copied by Master Jingyi Bao, the inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of filigree craft.

In ancient China, there were records of gold thread, jade clothes and filigree crafts, which was the initial idea of combining knitting with jewelry. In modern times with advanced technology, when gold thread and silver thread can be interwoven in layers, woven jewelry was born in a brand-new form.

Third, the application skills of knitting technology in jewelry design

(A) chain mail chain

Because it is used in ancient armor, it is called "chain mail" chain. Mass production is beautiful and textured, and the number of rings needs to be calculated (Figure 2).

Fig. 2 chain mail chain

(2) weaving

It is more difficult to weave with metal wire than wool, so it is necessary to use pure gold or pure silver because they are more elastic. The woven product can be stretched into the corresponding shape, which will also make it have a better overall effect.

(3) weaving

Shuttle weaving is free to follow the shape. Because only one point of the whole woven fabric can be disassembled, it provides great freedom for pattern design.

(4) Decoration

This is a relatively simple method to hook and weave metal conduit on the frame, and pure gold or pure silver thread should be selected (Figure 3).

Fig. 3 Decorative effect

(5) Stranded wire

In jewelry making, a simple stranded wire is often used as a starting point, and there are many ways to use it. The tighter the steel wire is twisted, the shorter the length of the whole stranded wire is.

(6) weaving

Knitting technology can be used to make flat and linear thread structures, which are usually composed of three strands of silk. It has many variations and can weave quite delicate patterns. We can try to weave patterns with metal wires of different colors.

(7) weaving knots

Although it takes a lot of time to use metal wire and it is difficult to keep it flat, it can produce some beautiful effects. Textiles are generally pure silver. The thinner the metal wire, the finer the texture of the woven product and the greater the toughness.

The performance of knitting art in jewelry

(A) the performance of national characteristics

Different ethnic groups have different cultures, and each ethnic group will have different preferences. For example, Yi people like colorful objects and often decorate their headdresses with tassels.

The patterns of woven jewelry are closely related to costumes with unique national characteristics. Strong national color is closely related to living habits. Tibetan ornaments, whether they are materials or patterns, have auspicious meanings in most cases. Some ethnic minorities like to use knot art to show their unique national flavor. New Zealand Jasper can not only show the unique characteristics of jade itself, but also show Maori culture through carving.

(B) the embodiment of fashion temperament

The emphasis on the design of fashion jewelry is to reflect the unique personality. Through the art of weaving, pearls and jadeite gems are inlaid, and then woven ropes and related accessories are added to further highlight the color and hierarchy (Figure 4).

Figure 4 Knitted Necklace

(C) the expression of personality characteristics

Personalized jewelry design is a kind of jewelry design that designers design according to their own thoughts and ideas and deliberately show their own characteristics. The most obvious feature of weaving art is to choose materials at will and match colors. In the process of editing, you can play and adjust at will to better show your own characteristics. For example, beads of different colors and shapes are randomly selected from beads to match.

Verb (abbreviation of verb) conclusion

After thousands of years of technical development and material evolution, weaving can be widely used in today's jewelry making, which can be called a "living fossil" in the history of handicraft development. By analyzing the application and development of knitting technology in jewelry design, this paper summarizes the role of knitting technology in contemporary jewelry design and draws the following conclusions:

1. Knitting technology has historical extensibility. The essence of development is the emergence of new things and the demise of old things. However, knitting technology has not died out with the passage of time, but has shown different brilliant trends with the development of society.

2. There are many possibilities in the knitting process. Whether it is a primitive society with scarce resources or a modern society with abundant social production materials, knitting technology has always been in the development trend and is not limited to a certain form.

3. Weaving technology and jewelry design complement each other. After thousands of years of inheritance and development, knitting technology has changed in this process, and finally it is widely used in jewelry making, which is closely related to the development of jewelry itself. People consciously choose decorative objects in their own decoration, and the decorative objects themselves further beautify the main body of decoration. This process is the interaction between decorative subject and decorative object. The same is true of knitting technology and jewelry design, which interact, develop and complement each other in the process.

Wang Wei

Zheng De, product director, vice chairman of the International Art League, special process consultant of Italian "metalworking family MARCHISIO 1859" brand, special product process consultant of German "Lang" brand, young member of jewelry design committee of China Jewelry and Jade Industry Association, and senior jewelry designer of China Shanghai Gemstone Industry.

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