Beading Wicked Women

Beading Wicked Women covers over 3000 years of history from 1500 BCE to 1542 CE. It examines 14 women who were considered wicked since they did not conform to the norms of how women should behave. Surprisingly, the accusations against these supposed wicked women remained constant though time. Who made these recurring and consistent accusations? – Chroniclers, recorders and interpreters of history, who were men of their time and drew on negative stereotypes of women to prove their political or social narratives. In turn these narratives became the accepted interpretation and record of the lives of the women included in the book. History is written by the victors but once written these histories become the acceptable and factual version of history. Of the 14 women in this book all have been convicted and found guilty, not through systematic evaluation of the evidence, but by the opinions and prejudices of chroniclers of the time. Some women were very famous in their day, but have been forgotten; others remain extremely influential hundreds of years after their death. The chronicle record of transgression and wicked behaviour by these women in many cases is a literary construct from the original chroniclers or later sources, that perpetuate a specifically constructed history of the selected women. These women were women of authority or attached to a court, possessed standing, and exercised authority and leadership, and as such, would have enjoyed the privileges of power, including jewellery. Beads, more than any other form of jewellery have amuletic or protective properties. They are not only decorative, but importantly, they express social circumstances, political history, and religious beliefs. For each of the 14 women a beaded necklace has been designed that not only epitomises the character of that woman but places the design and technology into the history of beads. It reveals the importance of beads in each of the eras, the diversity of designs, and their hidden meanings. Their necklaces speak of the women’s political or social position, represent their culture, and reveal their character. They possess a particular magic and aura revealed in the craft, beauty, and design of the jewellery, which travels across millennia and cultures, enhancing the story of the wearer.

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