JEWELLERY

The Egyptians shared their environment with many different beasts, birds, fish and reptiles. These animals would appear on many objects including sculptures, jewellery and hieroglyphics. These animals were thought of as part of the ‘world...

Dungeons were built under castles and in prisons. These dungeons were usually pitch black and filthy with disease. Prisoners who were held there were treated very badly and from the earliest times torture was used to punish them or get them to confess to...

The word 'Lepidoptera' translates as 'scaled wings' in Latin. That is because butterflies and moths have wings covered in tiny scales that provide their wings with patterns and colours that characterize these insects. All butterflies are diurnal (day...

It was during the Industrial Revolution that the Victorian jeweller was able to tool up for mass production. Machines formerly powered by hand or water were turning over to steam and gas and the pace and scope of jewellery production was vastly increased...

Jewellery, including rings, has been popular for thousands of years. Skilled metal workers created jewellery, which would have been worn by both men and women. Most early jewellery was made from lead alloys and bronze and only the wealthy could afford...

About 225 million years ago a group of reptiles appeared on earth. They had scaly, waterproof skin and young that hatched from eggs. They survived for nearly 150 million years and then vanished from the face of the earth. Some were the size of a chicken...

A cartouche was an oblong enclosure with a horizontal line at one end, indicating that the text enclosed within it was a royal name. Cleopatra VII (b. 69 BC) was the last effective pharaoh of Egypt's Ptolemaic dynasty. She reigned from 51 BC - 30 BC...

Clown Fish are small fish (5 to 13cm long) that live among anemone. The anemone protects the clown fish from predators, who know not to go near the anemone's tentacles. The clown fish helps the anemone by cleaning it and by scaring away predators of the...

Cattle were first domesticated around 6,500 BC. Early cattle served a triple-purpose, providing meat, milk and labour. Dairy cattle are now specialized animals, focused primarily on producing milk. This milk is made into various products, including...

Deer are even-toed, hoofed herbivores. They graze and browse on a variety of grasses, mosses, herbs and shrubs. There are many different species found worldwide and they vary considerably in size. It is common among deer for the males to grow antlers...

Dolphin is a name of a group of sea animals closely related to whales and porpoises. Like whales and porpoises, dolphine are mammals, not fish. There are many kinds of dolphins but the most common are the bottle-nosed dolphin and the common dolphin. They...

The Egyptians shared their environment with many different beasts, birds, fish and reptiles. These animals would appear on many objects including sculptures, jewellery and hieroglyphics. These animals were thought of as part of the ‘world...