Western Armenia TV presents : The Museum of Armenian History from the 18th-20th centuries, and the collection of traditional Armenian jewelry from the 16th and 17th centuries.
These samples are classified according to type, method of application, place of preparation and time. In the above-mentioned centuries, in different origins of Armenia and the Armenian world (Van, Mush, Bayazet, Sivri Hisar, Sebastia, Shapin-Garahisar, Alashkert, Malatia, Bitlis, Karin, etc.), these are the jewels made by Armenian Goldsmiths, worn by the Armenian girl. An Armenian woman who has become a mother and an Armenian woman who has reached a respectable age. In the XVIII-XX centuries, jewelry was made of gold, silver and non-precious metals and alloys. Natural stones, amber, pearl, coral, sandalwood, glass, etc. were used for jewelry and for pearls associated with metal pieces.
The museum’s jewelry collection has been assembled over many years: some of it was brought here by the Armenian Ethnographic Society, others were acquired through ethnographic research expeditions and local purchases, and some came to the museum thanks to donors.
A significant part of the jewelry from Western Armenia has been transferred to the Museum of Armenian History at the Etchmiadzin Museum, which acquired it mainly with “fraternal aid” funds.
Unfortunately, information on these jewels is incomplete, as most of them were obtained under difficult conditions from people who emigrated. In some cases, it is not even known how the jewels were used, and sometimes the names are in foreign languages.
Jewelry is not just a luxury item, it is the expression of a nation’s aesthetic perceptions, way of thinking, feelings, tastes and style, and is directly linked to the ideas, worldview, customs, traditions, rituals and vacations of the ethnic group. Jewelry says a lot about the way of thinking, psychology and beliefs of our not-so-distant ancestors.
Armenian jewelry gives an idea of the level of goldsmithing and craftsmanship, as works by Armenian masters are featured. Just as architecture, music, miniatures and all other branches of art are national, so too is the art of jewelry.