Pearls, sapphires, diamonds & toadstones I Curator's Corner S3 Ep8 #CuratorsCorner

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Published 2018-03-18

Curator Naomi Speakman has already told us about bestiaries – medieval books of animals both real and mythical. Here, she takes us through another type of medieval compendiary – the lapidary, an encyclopaedia of jewels, their properties and their meanings in medieval society.

#CuratorsCorner #Jewellery

All Comments (21)

@psammiad 4 years ago

Pearls are made by soaking up moonbeams?! That's an adorable idea.
@coopsevy5664 4 years ago

The art work that went into to this jewelry is jaw dropping, all the history is mind blowing.
@censusgary 5 years ago

In a lapidary now, we would discuss a stone’s color, hardness, chemical composition, crystalline structure, and so on. But medieval people were more interested in a stone’s magical powers.
@kryw10 6 years ago

Please make nine more episodes like this about the rest of your jewelry because I am not completely engrossed and this one wasn't long enough. :D
@wizardofahhhs759 4 years ago

The intricacy of jewelry in medieval times is is absolutely astounding.
@mynameiscordelia 6 years ago

She makes the subject so fascinating!
@lukethomas658 6 years ago

I love you're putting this kind of content on YouTube, thank you.
@BarbaraMerryGeng 6 years ago

I love listening to these lectures presented by the British Museum. If my teachers were as interested in their subjects, I might have learned something in school . Thanks for posting .😆
@dazuk1969 3 years ago

Great stuff Naomi, we all love bit of bling. Big shout to all who work at the British museum.
@jonathanconnor8190 4 years ago

It always amazes me how they made things like jewellery and swords with such intricate details without the use of modern technology!
@tauceti8341 3 years ago

How many corners does the brisitsh muesuem have? Why don't other museums have filmed curator corners? This is fascinating!
@Borrox2U 4 years ago

The religious pictures engraved on each side of that ring are amazing in their detail.
@juanvelez8564 4 years ago

Beautiful rings. I wish that we had seen more.
@LQOTW 5 years ago

I totally love geeking out on all things medieval. Thanks much for such an interesting video!
@FtonDavid 5 years ago

Big fan of roleplaying games like Dungeon and Dragons, I sent this video to the handful of people that run such games, maybe treasure found by adventurers we play will be more historically accurate and have more flavour. Thank you for sharing.
@andien8760 6 years ago

Really interesting! I wish the video was longer so I could learn more!
@ricecoffee3968 4 years ago

These are great insights into history. I am always amused at the riches of the Holy Church. More classrooms should include this and Phil Harding in their history sessions. This is alive history.
@Syrkyth 6 years ago

I've always enjoyed learning about the odd behaviors of past civilizations. One of my favourites are the wunderkammer - filled with treasures and tall tales in equal amounts by people with enough wealth and schooling that you'd think that they would have been able to tell the difference between the two. Not so much apparently.
@systlin2596 5 years ago

This jewelry is all just exquisite! And this is fascinating. You have a wonderful job, to be able to work with, understand, and admire such lovely and meaningful works of art all day!
@reiwolfsohn9513 4 years ago

I’m loving all of these stories! Thank you! It’s funny, I always wanted a sapphire in the centre for a wedding ring, I like these associations. 😊💐