Cast Iron Jewelry Art

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Brooch with charms, 1820s, Victoria and Albert Museum. Cast Iron Jewelry Art

Cast Iron Jewelry Art
The history of cast iron jewelry began in 1790, when craftsmen in Silesia along with vases and candlesticks, made individual jewelry items. Also, at the beginning of the 19th century, Berlin metalsmiths made cast iron jewelry at the Royal Iron Foundry.
Despite the very fine workmanship and ornate patterns, black jewelry looked rather gloomy and did not have enough secular gloss. Therefore, women mainly used such ornaments at mourning events. Thus, the term mourning jewelry has become synonymous with cast iron jewelry.

However, in 1812, the attitude towards cast-iron jewelry changed somewhat – it became not only terribly fashionable, but super-patriotic to appear in them at social events.

First of all, this popularity arose due to the Prussian princess Marianne. The fact is that in March 1813, Prussia joined the Russian Empire in the fight against Napoleon. War, as you know, is a very costly business. In order to stimulate financial revenues to the treasury, Marianne of Prussia appealed to her compatriots with an appeal. In particular, to donate their gold jewelry for a noble goal – financing the War of Independence.
In return, the benefactors received sincere gratitude from the country and a cast-iron decoration with the inscription “I gave gold for iron” or “For the well-being of our Motherland.”