Yellow gold chains are back on the scene of new fashion trends, harking back to the social revolutions of the 1980s and 1990s.
Today they have become the perfect emblem of a chic and elegant femininity, but with a punk rock touch that claims strong, independent, completely free and never banal personalities.
Yellow gold chains: a jewel that becomes a status symbol.
The allure of the chain jewel can be found in its ambiguous intrinsic symbolism.
When thinking of the chain, the collective imagination immediately conjures up images linked, on the one hand, to the concept of slavery, or, on the other, to symbols of power, sovereignty, and wealth.
It's almost as if our instinct dictated that the steel chain had a more negative meaning, while the gold one, instead, had a direct reference to the idea of power and luxury.
The chain , in fact, is defined by a precise and immutable shape that, within it, contains contrasting symbols, everything and the opposite of everything: wealth and poverty, well-being and slavery, femininity and masculinity, in the name of an orderly elegance that rebels against conventions.
Throughout the history of jewelry, from ancient times to the Renaissance and the modern age, the yellow gold chain has been the quintessential emblem of nobility, a status symbol of royalty and aristocracy.
However, since its origins, the chain has also been the fairest and, from a certain point of view, the most democratic piece of jewellery that could be worn.
The shape of the kings' chain necklaces and bracelets is the same as that of queens and noblewomen, it is the most archaic form in the history of jewelry, the jewels of the high ecclesiastical spheres of the papacy and of the imperialist dynasties are made of chains.
From the origins of civilization until at least the modern age, we can affirm that yellow gold chains have represented the most widespread jewel in history, a symbol of a power coming from the past and linked to the future by indissoluble and unchangeable bonds.
The modern age, Liberty and Art Nouveau in France: the yellow gold chain becomes the symbol of a new elegance
The second golden age of chain jewellery began with the modern phase of history and, specifically, in the so-called Liberty period.
The artistic-cultural movement of Applied Arts, in fact, finds in the chain the perfect form in which to summarise an entire poetics: an object of everyday use which, reworked by a handcrafted artistic project, becomes an object of art .
Then the Arts and Crafts were born, workshops and stores in which master craftsmen produced artefacts that were miniature works of art, made with precision, wisdom and such attention to detail as to make each jewel uniquely beautiful, in a declared fight against banality and mediocrity.
During that period, the first Parisian haute couture houses were born, and the art of goldsmithing and jewelry received its first official recognition.
When thinking about chain fashion, we can't help but mention Maison Chanel , which brought a new essence to the concept of the chain. With Coco, chains, whether subtle or flashy, became the symbol of a natural elegance, never ostentatious and therefore even more captivating.
From Chanel onwards, chains and luxury costume jewelry became style icons for modern women, ostentatious accessories that asserted a whole new idea of femininity that rivaled the masculine universe in every way.
The latest revolution: punk rock and the latest transformation of the gold chain
The chain, as mentioned, has an immutable form that passes through time and space, varying slightly but never transforming.
In transcending fashions and social revolutions, it seems to absorb meanings and symbols acquired from time to time by the historical context which ultimately increase its substratum of ambiguous charm.
It so happens that between 1980 and 1990 we witness the parable of the social, political, musical and artistic phenomenon that goes from punk , through rock and down to grunge , deviating towards hip-hop .
In this decade, chains became an explicit synonym of war (even violent) against tradition and established rules, to the point of becoming an ostentation and claim of anarchy .
Necklaces and bracelets made of yellow gold chains become the jewels of those who enter the world with the desire to break the retrograde beliefs of the right-thinking, breaking obsolete rules in the name of absolute freedom of thought.
The woman who decides to show off a chain jewel is necessarily endowed with a strong, independent, modern and bold femininity, chic and elegant, but intimately rebellious.
"Precious Interweavings": The exhibition that chronicled the evolution of the chain in the history of jewelry.
Some time ago, an exhibition was set up in the city of Vicenza that, through 80 examples, retraced the history of the most widespread and versatile jewel in the history of goldsmithing.
The exhibition's curator is Alba Cappellieri , professor of jewelry design at the Milan Polytechnic and considered one of the leading jewelry experts in Italy and beyond.
The chain as a luxury jewel and costume jewelry in today's Italian manufacturing
Many young Italian talents have decided to rediscover the goldsmith tradition, modernizing and redeveloping it in the name of Made in Italy.
Equipped today with extremely precise instruments and tools, they can choose to work in pure gold or with extremely high-quality metal alloys capable of producing luxury jewels and costume jewellery .
Even among the new generations, the prevailing choice seems to fall on precious metals, such as yellow gold , which has a direct visual impact due to its typical colour.
Today more than ever, the intention is to declare war on every stereotype and differentiation of gender, intentions and abilities.
For this reason, the yellow gold chain becomes a perfectly unisex symbol of today's woman, of her relationship with the outside world in which true luxury seems to be uniqueness .
The revolution is a woman and the world of the future seems to be increasingly in the hands of androgynous individuals who make the detail the absolute icon of exceptionality and the chain seems to be the ideal tool to firmly retain the personality .
These jewels are given added value by excellent goldsmith techniques that, while maintaining a strong practical connection with tradition, exploit new technologies and blend foreign influences from around the world.
While it is true that a chain is not for everyone, it is even more true that not everyone possesses the creative, design and technical skills required to create a jewel that, in addition to being aesthetically perfect, becomes an icon of style and a symbol of an ideology , an amulet capable of bringing well-being and security to the person who wears it.
Vivyinrosa: online shop for luxury handcrafted jewelry and costume jewelry.
And who better than a woman can create truly distinctive symbols for today's women?
In the horizon of national luxury jewellery and costume jewellery, we choose to mention Vivyinrosa which in its collections contains and emanates all the scent of modern femininity , chic but always profoundly rock .
All the jewels on this site are handcrafted with great skill by Viviana, who has realized her dream of creating a jewelry brand capable of expressing emotions.
The yellow gold necklaces, bracelets and chain jewels in the Rock and Chunky collections satisfy any type of need, varying in size, composition and production techniques, transforming each jewel into a unique work of art:
- for example, the gold-plated chunky dedicated to Bianca Balti , simple yet not banal, which guarantees an "ever green" glamorous effect
- or the Chrissie bracelet from the Rock collection which embodies an ambiguous charm, somewhere between punk and Art Nouveau with delicate yet decisive shapes.
Viviana also stands out, in our opinion, for an extra attention that we could consider a true act of courage: after having reworked the chains to become precious jewels, she transforms another object of punk culture into a luxury product: the piercing officially enters the luxury jewelry sector.
It is the definitive revolution of contemporary fashion that breaks down every boundary between elegance and popularity, chic and punk rock, such as the Ann earring in gold with metal studs .
With these unique and perfect jewels, we reach the apotheosis of the chain as a symbol of today's new Woman.