The Penny in Copper's History
News — sergio lub
Gallery Profile - The Art Affair
Rosie Blowers of The Art Affair Gallery
At SLJ, we pride ourselves on establishing long-term relationships with our wholesalers, like Rosie and John Blowers from the Art Affair Gallery in Inverness, Florida. We first met them in the '70s while doing retail shows in Michigan.
For years, we've enjoyed knowing our bracelets sit side by side with the fruits of their own artistic efforts. Both John and Rosie are Renaissance humans: accomplished musicians, leatherworkers, glass artists, and jewelers. They also feature the beautiful, functional pottery of Tom and Denise Chamberlain.
If you're in their area, make sure to stop by and say hello!
216 Tompkins Street, Inverness, Florida, 34450
Copper's Correlation to Love
Our chosen metal copper has a mythical and planetary association with love and Venus.
From Weapons to Bells - Copper in History
The bells found in the tomb of the Marquis Yi are now in the collections of the China's Hubei Provincial Museum. (Wikimedia Commons/Vmenkov)
Copper was the most valuable metal for a thousand years.
As our technology advances different metals become more valuable. Silver for example was more valuable when we used it for photography. Platinum demand soared with catalytic convertors, and now lithium is in great demand thanks to the new batteries.
The metal that was most highly desired for the longest time is copper. This is because copper is needed to make bronze, the metal used for making the best weapons during the Bronze age. In China this period started around 1,700 BC and ended 1,000 years later with the adoption of steel weapons around 700 BC.
Many people heard of the early Chinese strongman who listened every morning to a tune that involved the ringing of each one of his large collection of bronze bells.
The common understanding was that he enjoyed the music. This was probably true, but there was a more practical and less known fact.
After winning a war, the prevailing leader will keep his own guard well armed and will order all other weapons melted and made into bells. Listening to a familiar tune was a quick way to take inventory and, if a note was missing, then know that trouble was brewing and to prepare accordingly.
Sergio Lub - January 2019
Inspired by the article:
A Rare Collection of Bronze Age Chinese Bells Tells a Story of Ancient Innovation