This morning on my walk to work I noticed that the demolition of an office building had exposed a church to public view--and not just any church, but Manhattan's first Roman Catholic parish. Drawn by the sight I decided to do a walk-through. The ornamentation, the altars, the markers commemorating the history of building and craft--the place was a vivid reminder of a visual style in some ways alien to life today, but at the same time its direct antecedent.

The blend of sensory richness and spirituality reminded me of this recent article on the goldsmiths of Iraq. Gold as an expression of transformative identity has a long history there, a tradition evident not just in the Bible but in the diffusion of its iconic values throughout the globe. Which is just one more why the plight of Iraq's goldsmiths is so tragic--it's not just that the invasion led to the pillaging of ancient art; Iraq is losing the very artists whose work help gives life meaning.

Even more disturbing--the role of religious conflict in this spiritual implosion. For more on that check out the whole article; for now, a poignant reminder of one family's lost golden age:

For Walid, goldsmithing is more than a business, it is a family tradition too important to abandon.

His grandfather worked on the golden-domed Kadhimiya shrine, where Imam Musa al Kadhim and his grandson, Muhammad Taqi, revered by Shiite Muslims, are said to be buried.

His father made jewelry for the Iraqi royal family.

A faded photograph hanging above Walid's counter shows his father with the portable wooden box he used to display his wares before he opened a store in 1934 in Baghdad's most famous gold bazaar, which fills the winding alleys leading to the shrine. . . .

The jewelry sold in the Kadhimiya district is especially prized by Iraq's majority Shiites, who consider it to be a blessing from the imams buried there.

Before U.S.-led forces invaded the country in 2003, the shopkeepers say, as many as 3,000 Iranians also visited the shrine every day. After offering a prayer to the imams, the pilgrims would join the bustling throngs to shop for gold.

Posted by jat at 11:09 AM | Permalink

Part of the Sheila Satin Collection on Etsy:

Each piece will arrive boxed/pouched, cleaned from negativity, charged in the sun, with a positive affirmation for you to program yourself!

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Back when I was studying for my religion Ph.D., the notion that Americans treated religion like shopping was the stuff of cutting-edge academic books and doctoral dissertations. Now it's just another article in Cosmo.

I am so old.

Next month: What Karl Barth's dialectical yes-and-no says about how far you should go on first dates.

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‘‘My work is a response to all things plastic, black, evil and cheap that don’t give people the chance to explore the power of the body.’’ That tantalizing quote appeared in last Sunday's New York Times feature on Betony Vernon. The article may highlight the "titillating" aspects of Vernon's "erotic ceremonies," but as the writer also notes there's more to the sex than just sex. Her Paradise Found website explains:

"Ritual," "mission," "education," "mystery"--the language of transformation pervades Vernon's work. And it's not just talk: check out the following iconic design, which links the flight of the spirit to bone and flesh:

Besides offering a jewelry line, Paradise Found also doubles as a postmodern mystery faith, with a secret gathering place and rites known only to invited initiates--one more sign that we are living in the midst of a new Renaissance, where art, spirituality and commerce blend into one.

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A global micro-enterprise network that trains people to craft jewelry & textiles. One constituency: women in prostitution. A Teen Challenge venture.

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The first major jewelry and watch trade show in Macau celebrates the occasion in song.

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Sacred Cut Metal Designs is a multifaith spiritual marketplace with designs that represent a diverse range of spiritual traditions. This informative article from a local paper explains reason for the name: they custom-cut each piece with "holy water and sacred sand"--"customers can request that any refinable liquid, sand or herb that is meaningful to them be used to make their jewelry."

Because the aim is to promote peace and goodwill for all people, Sacred Cut has pieces from a wide range of traditions and beliefs, such as Christian crosses . . .

and Stars of David

and Oms.

But what really sets Sacred Cut apart is the following item, which links the sacred number 7 with a truly divine name:

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Via the Consumerist

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Cindy Forrester crafts jewelry from an array of vintage elements. Her Winter Goddess necklace, for example, incorporates the word "Goddess" from an old dictionary. For more, check her Etsy shop, her blog or this article from the Orlando Sentinel.

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Above: Items from the Christmas collection of Nightlight, a Christian charity in Bangkok that helps women and children to leave the sex trade by giving them work in a jewelry business.

For more stuff like this, check out Products with a Purpose, which also sells fashion items to help women in the sex industry.

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The Major League Baseball steroid scandal prompts this observation from Dallas News Religion:

How many of these guys wear crucifixes on their gold chains, make the sign of the cross when they come up to the plate, or point heavenward after they make a good pitch to get out of a jam?

What, exactly, are they praying for? That Jesus help them remember to pack their syringes before road trips?

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There's a new silver exhibit in Phoenix. One of the featured items: the Sumatran padung earpiece, which, when adjusted up or down, indicates a woman's marital status. Why would this jewelry have such an association, and not, say, a wedding ring?. As you can see from the following replica available at murnis.com, Its double spirals symbolize . . . um . . . the rod-like extension connotes . . .

Anyway, we're dealing with a family-friendly museum here, so let's move along now, shall we? Here's museum director Katie Anderson talking about the exhibit's religious significance:

And while sorority girls everywhere clamor for the silver Return to Tiffany necklace and bracelets, other cultures create fertility symbols with the precious metal. Known as fetishes, these objects vary in symbolism and meaning from culture to culture. It's religious iconography through jewelry, Anderson says: "Each culture's silver can tell us about the people who made them and who wore them."

Plus ca change . . .

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Cluny Grey is a jewelry designer who writes the always engaging Jewelry Blog, and today she features not own designs incorporating peridot, the August birthstone. Along with the pics: a historical overview that includes such information as . . .

Peridot has an interesting pedigree; many people believe that Aaron's breastplate (in the Bible) had peridot although it was referred to as "topaz".

Click here for the whole thing.

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The cross pictured above is not sold in any store. It is the work of a Texarkana prisoner, one of many made and either worn by the inmates or given away as gifts--sometimes even to the sheriff and their jailers.

This article from a local paper points to why these religious crafts are so meaningful to those who make them. From the standpoint of modern network analysis and cognitive science, prison is arguably one of the most least effective ways to go about reducing crime. Detachment and sensory deprivation breed social dysfunction. The culture of religious crafts in this Texarkana prison, however, engages the inmates at the most fundamental level of what it means to be human: they connect, transform and transcend.

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Elsewares recently featured this, the latest necklace in Anne Kiel's Curios series: "Meditation," a "reflective and tranquil image" of a person communing with nature. The light in the horizon; the spiraling tree of knowledge and life--the symbolic resonance is clear.

Yet nature has not always been viewed as a source of transcendental insight. Contrast the appealing imagery of "Meditation" with that of Tennyson's famous turn of phrase from In Memoriam:

Who trusted God was love indeed
And love Creation's final law
Tho' Nature, red in tooth and claw
With ravine, shriek'd against his creed.

Perhaps our image of natural harmony is as much a work of creative transformation as the city and machine.

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Etiquette expert Stuart Matlins weighs in on the top ten mistakes for you to avoid when interacting with people from other religious traditions.  Click here for the full list.   Below, a sample helpful hint:

"[W]hen a woman is attending a Muslim service, a dress, or skirt and blouse, is recommended. Clothing should cover the arms, hems should reach below the knees, and a scarf should be worn. For men and women, crosses, stars of David, jewelry with the signs of the zodiac and pendants with the faces or heads of animals or people are discouraged."

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Above:  The Cha Ching necklace from Subversive Jewelry, by CFDA/Vogue FAshion Fund emerging designer nominee Justin Giunta.  The necklace consists of "half a dozen oxidized chains strung with old coins, religious medals and tokens from Times Square peep show booths."

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An evil eye pendant from evil-eyes.com.  It's a family-run business in Texas, where there's plenty of need for this sort of thing.

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This is a vibrational prayer box from Rudrakasha.com.  The wearer places a small written copy of a prayer into the prayer box and clips it to a piece of jewelry.  The intended result:  the prayer's positive vibrations influence the wearer's life.

The Rudrakasha site explains more.   It also has a blog devoted to yoga and the Hindu Lord Ganesha--which, among other things, explains just what an enlightened soul should do when someone brings a "gooey yummy pastry" into the break room!

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Above is a Peace pendant from the Innergy collection by Paula Abdul, the pop star enjoying a career rebirth as a judge on American Idol.  Abdul's jewelry has been getting a bit of press recently after selling out in her appearance on QVC.    

The name of the collection points to its connection with spiritual adornment:  Innergy is part of a greater trend toward jewelry of meaning.  In this case, the message is one of personal fulfillment.  Inscribed in the Peace pendant:  "Find Your Inner Peace . . . Be Who You Are Completely." 

Of course, there are also those who would say that this piece of jewelry has a deeper religious significance--as an icon of Antichrist!

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Sometimes religious unity takes shape in a distinct spiritual tradition, such as the Bahai faith.  And sometimes it is a simple cri de couer. 

Look closely at the above necklace & bracelet and you'll see symbols of three different religious traditions:  a buddha head, a cross and a Star of David.  This is Unity jewelry by LA designer Jessica Elliott, whose jewelry-making hobby has become a highly successful full-time enterprise.  As Jessica says in the description, "Can't we all just get a long?  Hope this helps."

For more of Jessica's jewelry featuring variations on crosses, keys, rosaries and other symbolic archetypes, check out her collection here.

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Queen Victoria uses her cross pendant to ward off a werewolf in the latest UK episode of Doctor Who.  For spoiler-filled reviews detailing another connection to the BofG, click these links.

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San Mateo is Spanish for "Saint Matthew," but that's not the reason for this post.  San Mateo is also a city in California where I would be this weekend if I still lived on the West Coast.  "Why?," you ask.

Maker Faire!

Maker Faire is Geekapalooza--a gathering wholly dedicated to DIY tech.  Robots, crafts, animation:  what's not to like?

And of course, there's also jewelry--most notably, a fashion show marking the debut of Black Box Nation, the new venture by Emily Albinski and Diana Eng.  I had a chance to talk with Diana about BBN a little while ago, and what she has planned sounds amazing, not just in regard to their designs but the broader aim of building a tech-oriented design community.

To the left is the signature fuse necklace designed by Emily and worn by Diana on Project Runway.  And below (right):  a knit jacket with ruffles that use the Fibonacci series to create truly divine proportion!

Posted by jat at 07:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Last week we featured the geocentric movement, so it's only fair that we give the other side a shot.  On the upper left is a grommet necklace designed to mirror the Copernican model of heliocentric revolution.

This, however, is but one of the many wonderful items at Individual Icons--Jewelry that Works.  Compass necklaces, ruler bracelets, level earrings, thermometer jewelry and much, much more, designer LeeAnn Herreid's creations are marvelous fusion of science and art.

SCIENCE AND RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS EXTRA:

The sun has long been a symbol of the divine in religious symbolism, including Christianity.  Below are couple of other images from nature appearing in Individual Icons jewelry that one can also find in religious contexts.  Click on the pics to see references familiar in the West.

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Longtime readers may remember our occasional posts about the movement to stop trade in conflict diamonds, which fund violent rebel actions in Africa.  Today's New York Times has a story about a similar movement to promote better practices in gold mining.

For more on the adverse social and environmental impact of gold mining, check out the Ethical Metalsmiths page.  The rings pictured on the left are made from recycled gold & are part of Leber's Earthwise Jewelry collection.

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This past weekend someone arrived at the Blingdom by searching for "nude christian singles."  This came as a big surprise to me, since those pictures are supposed to be behind a firewall.

I kid, I kid!   

Still, Jesus did say "seek and ye shall find," and who am I to frustrate a seeker relying on this promise?  So off I went on a sacred quest to find a link between the BofG and "nude christian singles." 

The result . . .

Christian nudists! 

(NOTE:  Some links below obviously may not be safe for work.)

Although some Christians think that nudity is sinful, that opinion is by no means universal.  The Naturist Christians site is a thriving online community, with discussions, photos, news and pertinent religious texts, including a chapter by the Pope.  A real-world analogue is in the works:  Natura, a Christian nudist colony now being created in Florida. 

Want pictures?  To keep this site relatively SFW I'll just post a sample link (free registration required for full access).  As for the bling . . .  

The Christian naturist jewelry market is somewhat under-developed on the web, but not so its counterparts.  Pictured above:  "Goddess" and "Worship" nipple jewelry sold by the Diablo Sun Devils Naturist Club.  If you want to see Christian bling in a nudist setting, check out the Byzantine Church of St. Paul below, which is on a nude beach in Crete!

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Religion has long served as a way to assure us that we have a life beyond the limits of our temporal existence.  Some teach that our spirits and even our resurrected bodies live on in a heavenly paradise.  Others teach reincarnation--in fact, you can now find out on the web in what form you will return (hat tip:  the mighty TechSpace!). 

Science, however, is pointing the way toward a new possibility:  eternal life through cloning of one's DNA.  And the Blingdom is here to help.  Japan's Eiwa Industries is now selling pendants that contain a sample of a person's DNA.  Pictured above, for example, is a set for couples, in which each separate locket holds genetic material.

With a DNA pendant, your loved ones will have the core code of your being to keep as a lasting memorial after you die.  And, as a company manager notes, people are even buying these pendants in the hope of being able to clone the deceased.

Will believers in a literal resurrection accept wearing DNA jewelry as a symbol of the body's eventual return?  We'll know for certain when Jim Bakker sells a DNA cross!

DNAppendix:

Does Eiwa's own DNA jewelry have with a more direct connection with religion?  Yes, it does, as is evident from the theme of the company's publicity. 

Note that Eiwa, a Japanese company, focuses on the use of the jewelry to commemorate the deceased.  This reflects a deep spiritual culture of ancestor veneration--only now, instead of the deceased living on as a spirit revered in a household shrine, the ancestor is with us in a more literal way. 

For an overview of traditional Japanese religion (with lots of links), check out this informative page on Shintoism from the Religious Movements project at the University of Virginia.

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Marshall McLuhan would love these!  (Hat tip:  Jennifer Emick)

From the inventor, Russian designer Dima Komissarov:

Nowadays TV-set is not longer accepted as a mere reciever - it had transformed into a cult object, the thing we can watch and interact with for hours, the source of our knowledge and inspiration. If you accept this statement with humor, as a matter of fact - go after our new design of TV remote - remote control combined with beads (remobeads). Now you can shift between channels effortless - just slightly pressing the beads. The beads are glowing, so you can easily see them in the darkness. As an option you can add a sound - enjoy listening to your favourite mantras while switching the channels.

Posted by jat at 08:41 AM | Permalink

"Creativity is the supreme mystery of life," said Russian existentialist Nikolai Berdyaev, and judging from the number of times people ask artists where they find their inspiration, it is a riddle in little danger of being solved. 

Nonetheless, the Web does afford us unprecedented access to the creative process in real time.  While this might be most familiar from the blogs of authors or filmmakers, it is also increasingly the case among fashion designers. 

In fact, over the past week jewelry designer Anne Maa has been offering an informative look at spiritual creations on her Cool Stones blog.  Be sure to check out her "crosses and metals" series for a glimpse into the work of making art!

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Halfway through the work week and getting a bit worn out?  Many churches try to help by holding a midweek prayer meeting, which gives people a chance to connect, encourage and recharge.

While the midweek meeting particularly thrives within more conservative churches, that is not always the case.  The picture above shows a rosary used in Wednesday meetings at San Francisco's Ebenezer Lutheran Church, a feminist community of faith.  The gold figure on the end is a woman, but it is not Mary or a saint--this is a Goddess Rosary.

At herchurch.org, the Church provides an extensive explanation of the theology behind the Goddess Rosary, from female metaphors of the divine to reconstructionist Christian feminism.  It also describes in depth  the midweek rosary prayer meetings, where people recite this variation on the "Hail Mary":

Hail Goddess full of grace. 
Blessed are you
and blessed are all the fruits 
of your womb.
For you are the MOTHER of us all.
Hear us now
and in all our needs.
O blessed be, O blessed be.  Amen

And blessed art thou, Jennifer Rose Emick of About.com's excellent Alt Religion site, for sending this link!

CONTROVERSY EXTRA:  Although the Goddess Rosary has been around for a while, it has recently become a cause celebre among more traditional Christian sites in the blogosphere.  Is the use of goddess imagery in Christian feminism "rank heresy"?  If the problem is borrowing from "pagan" imagery, is mainstream Catholicism's devotion to Mary any more orthodox?  And is laughing at people and calling them "kooky" the hallmark of Christian love?

I report.  You decide.

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If you're in Seoul, South Korea, and want to see some historic Hindu & Buddhist jewelry, check out the new exhibit of Indonesian treasures at the National Museum of Korea. 

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The word was that nominee Felicity Huffman was going to wear this necklace to the Oscars.  But then when she appeared on the red carpet, her neck was conspicuously bare.

Why did she decide not to wear this jewelry?  Could the reason lie in a Hindu curse?  Click here & on the picture for more clues.

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Islamic rosary,
originally uploaded by ChrisLaning.

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Today would not be complete on the BoG without a look at Mardi Gras, the traditional celebration of indulgence held before the forty days of self-denial known as Lent. 

Mardi Gras is a fascinating holiday.  It's a form of holy hedonism that distills our moral complexity into a single day--eat, drink and be merry, because tomorrow you fast for the Lord.  Given that, I guess it's fitting that controversies arise over whether the festival is appropriate, from fundamentalist sermons against pagan practices to human rights concerns over the work conditions in Chinese factories where plastic beads are made.

What then shall we do?  To show that all are welcome here at the B of G, we offer a few Mardi Gras tokens that are workplace friendly in every sense of the phrase. Pictured here are nice vintage Mardi Gras beads, crafted in New Orleans from classic Czech glass.  If you're interested in more about the beads check out this article from National Geographic, which provides a lot of information without revealing why the magazine has remained popular among schoolboys for more than a century.

Want to learn more?  Wikepedia covers Mardi Gras across America, while the Times-Picayune has a nifty overview of the New Orleans MG celebration.  Should you be planning to cut back for Lent, remember that the City still could use our tourist dollars--if you're strategic about your Lenten self-denial (e.g., no chocolate-covered ants or young Cabernet), it's still quite possible to go there and have a great time!

Posted by jat at 03:50 PM | Permalink

Did you know that China makes about half of the world's jewelry?  According to the linked report, this amounted to more than $650 million worth of goods in the first 3 quarters of last year alone, a fifty percent increase for year before. 

A wide selection of this jewelry will be on display at this week's China International Gold, Jewelry & Gem Fair.  While this one has quickly grown into one of the region's largest, here at the BofG the race does not go to the swift (or the large). 

Rather, what we find most intriguing about the China trade in jewelry & other assorted tchotchkes is that a fair amount of it is explicitly religious.  Diamond crosses, Jesus medallions, Hindu gold and Buddha figures--look around the web and local stores, and you'll soon find an endless supply of Chinese-crafted goods.

China, of course, is a communist nation.  Even as the government is imprisoning Chinese evangelical Christians in forced labor camps, American Christians are buying the cheap religious trinkets that such camps produce.  Moreover, even if the item in question isn't made by prisoners, a portion of the profits still goes to the support of the state's religious persecution.

Which brings us back to Karl Marx's maxim that religion is "opium of the people."  Many in the U.S. are now working hard to end religious persecution in China, whether it concerns evangelicals & Catholics or Tibetan Buddhists and Falun Gong.  Is China's burgeoning supply of religious trinkets a sign of positive change or our own willful intoxication?

Posted by jat at 12:26 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (3)

Inquiries into the representation of Muslims in the government & military are leading many in India to be concerned that the future of their secular state is in peril.  As this editorial in Delhi's largest English language newsweekly notes, in the midsts of civil strife religious jewelry can seem like more than casual adornment--so much so that some people will even see it as a threat!

We cannot create divided loyalties in the armed forces. And that is why, it is the pride of India. . . .  This reputation as a secular institution has ensured the defence forces a higher status. During the NDA rule, the army directed its members to eschew all symbols of religious identity, like sindoor, tilak, bangle, pendant, ring and talisman to further reinforce this image. So why can’t we leave the army alone? Or is the UPA bent on dividing the country again?

Posted by jat at 09:45 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (1)

greg's engagement ring,
originally uploaded by Rather Salty.

Posted by jat at 03:42 PM | Permalink

A religion's devotion to opulent jewelry and designer fashion can raise serious questions about its spiritual commitment.  When Jesus bade Christians to take up their cross and follow him, did he really mean for it to be a gold cross studded with emeralds?  Would Muhammad have felt at home at the Taj Mahal?  Did the Buddha call us to seek enlightenment in a temple filled with gold adornments and a statue made of jade? 

Compelling arguments can be made against adornment in excess, and we can even find devotees of almost any religion who argue that all bling is an offense.  One line of argument derives from the otherworldly nature of a system of belief--believers are simply not supposed to care for such materialistic indulgences.  Another line of argument is ethical--a community defined by its charity betrays its sacred trust when it accumulates wealth as the less fortunate suffer. 

Nonetheless, there's a rich tradition of delirious diademic display, and the persistence of such practices reminds us of the intimate connection between religious sentiment and our fashion sense. 

As the anthropologist Ellen Dissanayake has observed, human beings display a predilection for "making special."  The resonance between religion and art reflects their common roots in our desire to transcend mere existence; for many people across the globe religion needs style to soar. 

The problem, of course, is one of proportion.  Finding what the Buddha called the "middle way" is a dynamic process, which is why within any given faith we'll find a yin and yang--or a Benedict XVI and a Benedictine monk.   Still, as Almostgirl aptly reminds us, perhaps it would be in order for Pope Benedict to follow the example of his more humble counterparts. 

My own pick for a model would be his most immediate namesake, Pope Benedict XV, who replaced the gems in his papal tiara with glass after selling them to benefit veterans of World War I.  After all, if PBXVI wants to dispel the allure of liberation theology & charismatic evangelicalism among the world's poor, wouldn't a public charity sale be more influential than abstract theological debate?

EXTRA:  You can see Benedict XV's famous faux tiara at the Milwaukee Public Museum, which is hosting the last stop of a U.S. tour of Vatican treasures.  For an excellent write-up of "Saint Peter and the Vatican:  The Legacy of the Popes," check out this article from the Milwaukee Sentinel Tribune, the source of tiara pic above.

Posted by jat at 11:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (2)

With regard to papal bling, Almost Girl raises the excellent point that the lavish celestial stylings of Pope Benedict are not exactly consistent with the humble saintly stylings of Saint Benedict.  This taps into an eternal tension with spiritual bling, one on which I'll have more to say later today when I'm not running the good race out the door.

However, a pop-up just now miraculously hijacked my computer with an ad for a piece of heavenly bling that I think all can agree raises no deep moral quandaries, since, in the end, we all live in his world:

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Of the making of Christian books against evolution there may be no end, but adaptation and natural selection are everyday realities in the world of Christian booksellers.  As this article notes, one of the themes emerging from the annual convention of the Christian Booksellers Association is the need to adapt to Walmart and big box stores, who are taking away a sizable portion of the Christian book trade.

What is keeping the booksellers in the black?  Yes, they are beginning to emphasize their more informed selection & ties to local churches, but statistics tell the real tale:  "Books now account for only 40 percent of sales in Christian retail stores." 

Jewelry, tchotchkes, gifts--that's where the profit center now lies in the Christian market.  But if mainstream merchants continue to expand their range of Christian and other religious products, look for more traditional Christian bookstores to go the way of all flesh.

Posted by jat at 01:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (1)

Valentine's Day is tomorrow, so in addition to commemorating the complexities of Darwin Week, the Blingdom of God will go on a sacred pilgrimage to holy shrines of love.

We begin our travels at the heart of European civilization:  the pagan Roman Empire.  The week of love actually began yesterday, February 12, with an ancient Roman holiday dedicated to the goddess Diana. 

Like the Norse god Ullr, Diana was a divinity associated with hunting, but she also was also something more:  an eternal virgin.

Goddess of chastity, Diana was immune to Cupid's arrows. Nonetheless, she was a protector of women in all aspects of their lives, from warding off undesirable suitors to enduring childbirth.

What does an ancient holiday for the goddess Diana have to do with the present celebration of Valentine's Day?  Ask your local Wiccan!  Diana is a central figure in the growing Wicca movement, especially in the younger generation.  While Venus may rule over love, Diana the Huntress provides a model of a woman who will not let