Dragon jewelry from around the world. Necklaces, earrings, jewelry boxes, and more.
One of my mini goals for this year was to publish two Dragonsinn ezines in a row, lest I fall behind on schedule! 😅
This month’s issue is all about dragon bling.
To keep things interesting, I’ve tried to gather dragon jewelry pictures from different cultures. Let me know if I missed any or if you have a picture to contribute and I’ll add it to this post.
I’ve always had a thing for jewelry, particularly with opal, pearls and jade. I sometimes like sleek gold pieces too. It’s a topic that gets me easily excited. I enjoyed putting this post together and hope you enjoy the fantastic images and learning more about the talented artisans.
Let’s start off with a gold dragon charm that I got late last year.
Chinese Dragon Gold Charm
I was clicking around on Etsy when something shiny and golden caught my eye…
It looked pretty and had a good weight when it arrived in the mail.
I had a very pleasant shopping experience and would absolutely buy something else from this shop.
Product Page: 14kt Gold Filled Necklace, Chinese Dragon
Etsy Shop Link: MathewandMarieCo
Next Product I’m Eyeing: Tiny Norse Dragon Boat Sterling Silver Necklace
Learn more about Chinese Dragons on our old blog post, or check out the Dragon History archive.
Japanese Dragon Jewelry Box
This is an antique, solid silver dragon jewelry box from the Meiji era.
From Pushkin Antiques:
“With a tridimensional dragon, the interior is lined in velvet and fitted for jewelry. This box is unusually large and beautifully made, in particularly good condition, with original fittings and original key. The lock is in full working condition.
The base is Hallmarked Japanese silver with a ‘Jun-gin’ mark, meaning ‘pure silver’ (950+ high grade silver, the finest silver the world has ever known), used primary in during the Meiji period (1868-1912).”
Learn more about Japanese Dragons on our old blog post.
Australia + New Zealand Dragon Jewelry
OMG, look at that opal gemstone.
The one on the left features an Austrian Boulder Opal. Boulder opals are found only in the state of Queensland, Australia.
It was created by Marty and Alisha, a mother-daughter team who create unique designs in their Santa Cruz, California studio.
Visit Marty and Alisha’s site: MartyMagic.com (their “Dragon Lair” has more dragon jewelry pieces)
The bone dragon pendant on the right is made by New Zealand artist Andrew Doughty. It is a Taniwha, a guardian of a specific location with similarities to Celtic dragons. Taniwha represent the mauri (life force) of a region in tangible form. They were “seen as a constant presence in waterways, ensuring that fish and other resources remain plentiful.”
Visit Andrew’s site: Bonecraft.co.nz
Indian + Middle Eastern + African Dragon Jewelry
These were a little harder to find than some of the other images. I’m glad I dug around a little bit to find these unique items.
From left to right:
INDIA: This is a sterling silver “Dragon Om” pendant necklace from India.
According to Wikipedia, Om refers to “Atman (soul, self within) and Brahman (ultimate reality, entirety of the universe, truth, divine, supreme spirit, cosmic principles, knowledge). The syllable is often found at the beginning and the end of chapters in the Vedas, the Upanishads, and other Hindu texts.”
Product Page: Novica.com
MIDDLE EAST (Iran): This is a Tiamat Dragon pendant in the style of ancient Mesopotamian Sumerian art.
Tiamat is a dragon goddess and the symbol of creation and chaos. She gave birth to the first generation of deities.
You can read more about Middle Eastern Dragons on our old blog post.
Product Page: Etsy Shop: VisaVisJewelryLA
AFRICA (Ethiopia): This is a St. George and the Dragon, Ethiopian Tewahedo icon necklace. The Christian tradition in Ethiopia was established in the 4th century, when the ruler of the Aksumite kingdom converted to Christianity. This hand-made necklace features vintage silver beads from Morocco, African Krobo powder glass trade beads, and handmade Tibetan lapis and silver beads.
Product Page: True Believer Jewelry
Europe: Viking Dragon
This is a gorgeous Viking dragon bracelet — the exact one seen in the Vikings series by the History Channel.
In the series, Ragnar presents this armring to Aethelstan for his support during battle. Ragnar also gives this bracelet to Ivar, his son.
Historically, ritual gifting played a huge part in Viking society. Rings, arm bands, and pendants were given to recognize the accomplishment of great deeds. The gifts were highly valued by the recipients, but very often stirred up jealousy in their social circles.
Product Page: Viking Dragon Bracelet on Crafty Celts
Europe: Welsh Dragon
With 463 official admirers (according to the product page), this is a 9ct gold signet ring with a Welsh dragon motif.
The Welsh dragon is a symbol in heraldic style. It appears on the flag of Wales. The earliest record of the dragon being used as a symbol for Wales was written approx. AD 829. It is also associated with King Arthur and Celtic leaders of ancient times.
Product Page: The Antique Jewellery Company
North America: Aztec Dragon
The dragon of the Americas are portrayed as legless, feathered serpents. Sometimes they appear with wings. They come in a variety of colors and with forked tongues. In Aztec culture, Quetzalcoatl is the god of religion and wisdom.
The Olmec tribe was the first to create carvings of a feathered serpent in the Americas, and most tribes in the region soon followed with featuring dragons in artwork. American dragons are frequently associated with water and the wind.
Product Page: Forefathers-Art on Amazon and Forefathers-Art.com
Learn More: American Dragon (North, Central and South)
Southeast Asia: Bali
Here’s a piece from the beautiful region I grew up in (Southeast Asia).
This is a John Hardy signature dragon necklace from the Naga Collection, handcrafted in Bali. The dragon pendant is made with African rubies and 18-k gold accents.
The Naga dragon symbolizes prosperity and long-lasting love. In Balinese folklore, the Naga dragon dives from his home on top of his volcano into the sea to visit his love. When he returns, water runs off the scales of his body into the surrounding rice fields which signals auspiciousness.
John Hardy was inspired by Bali and incorporated Balinese traditional jewelry-making techniques into his designs. John Hardy is a sustainable luxury brand and one of the top luxury jewelry brands globally.
Product Page: Neiman Marcus
Russia
Here are two unique dragon jewelry pieces from Russian artists.
Alyona Lytvin is a master embroiderer, who makes miniature dragons fashioned out of beads.
Other premium materials that she uses include pearls, silver, gold, leather, and silk.
View More: See more of her dragon brooch images on deMilked.
Product Page: Alyona is currently taking orders for May — find her at her shop on Livemaster.
Anastasiya Ivanova makes wire wrapped jewelry pieces by hand. Her delicate jewelry brings to life the fascinating creatures from mythology and mother nature.
View More: You can see more of her wire wrap jewelry on deMilked.
Product Page: You may find Anastasiya Ivanova at NastivaJewelry, her shop on Etsy.
Learn More about The History of Dragon Jewelry
I came across this post by Val the Gem Gal, who’s an official gemologist (GG, GIA). She also loves art, books, style, and history.
Her post below has a fine selection of unique dragon jewelry
https://valthegemgal.com/a-history-of-dragons-in-jewelry/
See You Next Month
Thanks for checking out this month’s ezine. As a lover of jewelry and other items of beauty, this post was a joy to complete.
Next month’s theme might be on medieval dragon art. Because hey, who doesn’t like that combination?!
Check out themes and past issues in the archives and sign up for goodies. 🙂
1 comment
Comments are closed.