Jewelry Stories

Jewelry Stories with Laura Frantz

March 1, 2021 / 17 Comments

I am over-the-moon excited today to begin a brand new feature – Jewelry Stories! If you’ve hung out here for any length of time, you know that I love creating jewelry inspired by some of my latest Christian fiction reads. I love it even more when the books I’m reading feature jewelry.

While reading Tidewater Bride by Laura Frantz recently, I discovered several mentions of jewelry that I knew I had to recreate in my own way (more on that later). I also reached out to Laura with some specific questions about the James Towne settlement and how they used shells to make jewelry. She was so gracious to answer those questions plus a few others – which I’m happy to share with you today!

Without further ado, please help me welcome Laura Frantz to the first edition of Jewelry Stories!

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Christy – There are several trinkets and gifts that were available to purchase in the Hopewell’s store.  One of those items was coral necklaces.  Were those able to be created locally or were they brought into the colony from abroad?

Laura – Coral was often imported from abroad (typically found in the Mediterranean Sea and off the coast of West Africa and Portugal though it was and is in Chesapeake Bay and along Virginia’s coasts. Orange, black, red, and pink are the coveted colors. Early Virginians, at least colonists, were too busy trying to survive to make much jewelry and were limited to imports most of the time.

C – Xander had oyster beds on his property, and (what seems like) an abundant supply of pearls.  Were oysters commonly harvested by everyone in James Towne?

L – Oysters were a necessary food item back then, providing protein, and so pearls were harvested more as a byproduct. In 1608 Captain John Smith said that oysters lay thick as stones in Virginia’s waters. Oysters also saved the early colonists from starvation. Later, there were even ‘oyster wars’ but that’s another story!

C – Oh my! Can you explain more about the Powhatan culture of burying pearls with their dead?

L – The Powhatans believed that what you died with you took with you into the afterlife thus they accumulated much wealth/possessions, especially their chiefs and powerful tribal members. Pearls and shell beads are often mentioned in the historical record as having significance both in life and death.

C – I was fascinated that a child as young as Watseka was skilled enough to make shell beads.  Can you explain how she learned this skill and the process involved?

L – Native American girls learned such skills at an early age from their mothers, aunts, grandmothers, etc. Much like their colonial English counterparts who were taught to sew samplers and churn butter and other chores very early. There was really no such thing as childhood back then. Survival made it necessary for everyone to be skilled and contribute. Virginia Indians wasted nothing, not even mussel shells, which comprised Watseka’s beads. The process to harvesting or collecting them then polishing them and breaking them down into manageable pieces was indeed laborious. But this resulted in jewelry for both women and also men to adorn themselves with. Shell beads were even used in marriage ceremonies.

Images shared with me by Laura 🙂

C – After a bit of independent reading, it seems like James Towne was inundated with all types of shelled sea life and they used the shells in some non-traditional ways (construction, mostly). Was that something you came across when researching Tidewater Bride?

L – Yes, often shells were used for roadways, walkways, in gardens, and as building supplies. Life was so primitive those first decades at James Towne that almost anything was utilized, often in very creative ways.

C – One of the lines I highlighted in my copy of Tidewater refers to the “Virginia pearls one hears about.”  Can you elaborate on that?

L – Chesapeake oysters produce pearls but pearls usually match the marine environment. In this case, Virginia’s pearls are brownish-green and inferior, reflecting the algae-rich, brackish waters, not the lustrous white ones found elsewhere. Which is why I write fiction 😊!

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Laura, I can’t thank you enough for spending time with me for the very first Jewelry Stories! I loved getting a glimpse into what jewelry design was like in this early settlement, and thank you for sharing some of your research with us.

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As alluded to in the beginning of this post, I have created some designs that were inspired by Tidewater, but um….there were a lot! 😀 So, for the next three days, I’ll be sharing new designs and excerpts from Tidewater Bride. There’s 12 designs in all (holy cow!), with four new designs shared each day. There’s a sneak peek of one design in the first photo of this post, and another sneak peek below!

To wrap up the week on Friday, Laura has graciously offered to host a giveaway here for one piece from the Tidewater collection. ♥ Entries into the giveaway can be submitted on Friday.

If you are brand new to Tidewater Bride, you have no idea what you’re missing! Feel free to check out my review or visit Laura on her website or Facebook page. She loves to connect with her readers!

Make sure you stop back by as we enjoy this novel all week long! Here’s a link to the first day of jewelry inspired by Tidewater Bride.

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