THE PRICELESSNESS OF VALUABLES

The poems of Azerbaijani classical poets could be considered a valuable source of research on the peculiarities of the national art of jewelry.

Let's substantiate this view. In most of their creations our poets eulogized beauties. We also have a saying that goes "G?z?llik ondur, doqquzu dondur" (literally it means "Accesories make up 90 per cent of the beauty" [Fine fetchers make fine birds]). The poets described the clothes and jewellery of beautiful women. This indicates that in Azerbaijan they used a wide variety of samples of the ancient jewelry craftsmanship. Archaeological excavations confirm that this was a well developed art in Azerbaijan long before BCE. For instance, the jewelry found in Karabakh dates back to the 2nd-1st millennia BCE. Various ancient jewelry items, such as accessories such as bracelets, rings, necklaces and earrings, have been found during the archaeological excavations in Barda, Mingacevir, Saki, Samaxi, Ordubad, Baku, Sabran, Qabala, and Beylaqan. These ancient luxury items indicate the high level of aesthetic taste and culture of our nation. 

Along with jewellery, researchers found items of clothing, homeware and jewelry. Among then there are gowns, shoetrees, frames for foundry casting, touchstones, special spoons, hammers and nippers that belonged to jewelry craftsmen.

In terms of the technique of production jewelry was divided into two groups: the simple and the complex one. Gulzada Abdulova, a department head at the Science Foundation for Ethnography of the Azerbaijan Museum of History, Master of History, has told R+ that while making luxury items local crasftmen gave preference to such techniques as casting, minting, twisting, carving, cutting, and brazing. 

Elegance and subtlety 

Azerbaijani jewellery items have different shapes, versatile details and composition. They usually have precious and semi-precious stones. These jewelry items made by skillful craftsmen, stand out for their special delicacy and ornaments. Though gold was the most preferred precious metal used in Azerbaijan, silver and platinum were widely used as well. In the most ancient times jewelry was made of bronze and copper.

"The copper beads found during the archaeological excavations in Gultapa date back to the 4th century BCE," Abdulova said. "During the Bronze Age, bronze was used to make both weapons and jewelry. Such products were made only for the tribal leaders and well-off persons. Later on, representatives of the middle class joined in. Making bronze ornaments was difficult, and using gold and silver made it easy to switch to  mass production. This became popular as it was used for plating frames."

The craft of jewelry developed in Azerbaijan mainly in three areas: molding (caxmaqalib), ornaments (torlamacilig), and precious stones (cavahirsazliq). The most ancient jewellery found in the country's territory is attributed to the art of "tokma", which involves an absolutely different technology.

"Later the technique of formation, "qalibkarliq", took the lead in the making of adornment items," Abdulova said. "This rational, convenient and simple technique developed the most from the 19th century."

Sabaka (Shebeke - ornaments) is one of the most complicated techniques used in the Azerbaijani art of jewellery. Ornaments made using this technique are called by the people "tor" or "torlama", while the craftsman making them are called "torlamaci".

There is expression "precision jewellery" which corresponds most of all to the art of manufacturing articles in the "sabaka" style. This field of jewellery making is believed to be the most refined and difficult, demanding filigree work

 "To achieve making the desired ornament, the jeweler must know perfectly well with the mathematical calculations in order not to miss even the slightest detail. The sabaka style has an advantage: the jeweler can assemble the desired frame and demonstrate his skill in the best way possible. In moulding, certain shapes that the jeweler works with, putting them on the ornament, are used. The generally accepted forms did not allow introducing any novelties. This could have been done only by creating a new shape," Abdulova said. 

In ethnic culture articles made of jewels come under the category of a branch of clothing. "Articles of this type of craft may be classified as follows: adornments for the arm and wrist, the neck, the bust, the head and the waist: in other words, adornments that may be worn or affixed. This classification is also divided into several groups. If you look at photographs of the 19th century you will see that the bust would be adorned with little boxes which, depending on social status, were made from gold, silver or copper. Coins of wrought gold were sown into the hem of the blouse. The fashion of the times dictated that a bride should be given earrings, chains, a necklace, a belt, a ring, buttons, a sash, a bogazalti (a female adornment in the form of a ribbon running from temple to temple and under the chin), a pendant, a bracelet, a hair-pin and headpieces.  And the kind of metal these adornments were made from depended on the family's social status. The wealthy ordered articles of gold, the middle classes silver and the poor copper."

In Azerbaijan it was mainly women who wore adornments. However, from very ancient times up to the present day there have always been jewellery accessories for men. Men would wear silver waistbands and a silver necklace kozar on their chest. They also had cases for watches, cigarette holders and cigar cases made of gold or silver. A man's social position and whether he belonged to the Khan, Bay or poor class could be gauged as soon as one looked at his dress or his horse. Particular attention was focused on equine adornments - the saddle and whip were finished in silver.

The forgotten name-tag 

In architecture, carpet-weaving, painting and other types of applied art, the craftsman perpetuates his name in his own works to avoid being consigned to oblivion. But did goldsmiths and silversmiths do the same? Answering this question, Gulzada Abdulova said that at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century an assay office was set up in Baku which checked whether forged articles were appearing on the market. It forced every jewellery maker to etch his own hallmark or the first letter of his name or some other sign on the article he was working on. However, because of recasting and other reasons such articles only turn up very rarely today. In line with manufacturing requirements jewellery makers started working in gold only after it reached 56 purities. Otherwise the gold would not roll, it would crumble and prevented the goldsmith from acquiring the required shape. That is why to soften the gold to an elastic state, making it easier to roll, and also in order to increase production volume, the appropriate amount of copper and silver was added to the pure gold in the form of admixtures. To make a sabaka [stain-glass window] required gold of high purity.

There were other reasons, too, for expanding and developing the art of Azerbaijani gold and silver ware. The art of jewellery making has always been an urban craft, because there have always been splendid cities in Azerbaijan, and it was here that the craft really developed. In different epochs towns like Ganca, Saki, Samaxi, Barda, Qabala, Beylagan, Susa, Ordubad and Salyan developed in Azerbaijan. From the 19th century, because of oil extraction, jewellery making started to develop rapidly in Baku, which was where people congregated from all over. And it was in these cities that the majority of the goldsmiths and silversmiths lived.

Among the craftsmen the skilled goldsmiths and silversmiths and hat-makers were particularly respected. The point is that in Azerbaijan the "papaq" - a type of male headgear - has since time immemorial been regarded as a symbol of honour. From that comes respect for those who made them. As far as the jewellery makers are concerned, they have always been associated with gold. This became a real disaster for them in the period of Soviet power. During the repressions the craft ceased to develop because the skilled craftsmen in gems, like others who were well-off, were arrested and their property confiscated. So the jewellery makers renounced their workshops and moved away. This went on for years. After the cult of personality passed and the guilty were punished and innocent people rehabilitated the work of the jewellery makers was restored. But to acquire this refined and complex skill in such a short time - just 2-3 years - was impossible.  Virtuosity in this field could only be achieved after long years of hard graft and by working alongside skilled craftsmen. For centuries jewellery makers had handed down their knowledge and skill from generation to generation. But this heredity had been interrupted. In the years following rehabilitation almost nothing was made in the old style. All the skilled craftsmen leaned towards the new style.

Out of fashion 

It is surprising, but nevertheless true that the adornments handed down by our forefathers did not prove to be a success. The European style squeezed out the traditional, and the adopted fashion flooded the market. As in other areas, so in the craft of jewellery making there was a growing desire to go along with fashion. Everyone wanted to buy a "tros" [chain] or order earrings in the shape of a star or a flower. This led to the abandonment of the beautiful examples of the ethnic art of jewellery making.

In the 1990s some enterprising people began visiting districts and villages, buying up old adornments from the local population, offering newly fashionable articles of jewellery in exchange. It later transpired that these "buyers" were fooling people about both the weight and quality of these items. But the saddest thing was that they took some of these things out of the country. Ancient articles of jewellery were kept only in some families where they respected the traditions of their forefathers and carried on the laws of heredity. But in many families young brides, convinced that old adornments were "out of fashion", either wore jewellery that had been handed down from generation to generation to jewellery makers to be melted down to make new, "fashionable" adornments, or sold them using the money to buy clothes and so on.

People have always tried to go with the times. In the old days fashions lasted for much longer and for centuries people used the same materials. However, starting from the end of the 20th century earrings (kikduyma, ucduma, derdduyma, qirxduyma, hil and xamail) began to go out of fashion. Articles from Europe and Russia began to dominate our market. The old fashions were no longer a delight to the eye.

The majority of the priceless and unique works of art of jewellery have been lost. The graves of well-to-do people were looted long before the beginnings of archaeological excavation. On the other hand, in the past overlords were for ever fighting each other for treasure. Our country was periodically subjected to attack and each new invader not only helped themselves to the most beautiful items of jewellery but also took away the best craftsmen with them. That is why a large quantity of looted items of Azerbaijani jewellery art have now found their way into foreign museums. We know about them from our folk tales, the works of ashuqs [poets], epics, folk songs and written sources.

Fashions come and go… Are articles of jewellery still made today in the ancient ethnic way? "Today ethnic fashions in jewellery are mainly under the influence of Europe. But our jewellery craft is experiencing an upsurge. Jewellery makers today are making ethnic items. If jewellers look for them there is a demand and there will be orders. That's the way of fashion. Time will tell if it will pass or develop. Azerbaijani silversmiths and goldsmiths are now making beautiful adornments. They are not copying the articles of the past, they are bringing in new things which are worth looking at," Gulzada Abdulova says.

Although jewellery making today is carried out using electronic tools they will never replace articles made by hand.