 |
| Slider Bail |
As jewelry artists, we all know what a bail is, it's a handy finding which allows you to attach a pendant or object to the rest of the piece of jewelry. Usually it has some sort of hoop or ring which is used as a connector. Bails come in a variety of shapes, finishes, and sizes. They can be very simple so that the pendant is the focus or quite elaborate so that the bail itself is a decorative element in the design. There are pinch, snap, tube/slider, and glue-on bails.
 |
| Pinch Bail |
My question is: why is it called a bail? If you type "bail" into a search engine, what comes up are references to bail bonds, getting out of jail, escaping, property, a bucket, sinking ships etc... After reviewing 20 pages of search results, still there was no mention of a jewelry bail or anything similar. So I still didn't know why bails are called bails, and not, say, 'hangers' or 'suspendors.'
 |
| Glue-on Bail |
I could see that I needed to dig deeper. Finally, on an etymology site, and in Webster's New College Dictionary, I found that the Middle English word 'beyl,' from the Old Norse 'beygla,' translates to 'a bend, ring, or hoop.' Interesting! It seems pretty likely that our jewelry bail's name developed straight from the Middle English source, as most bails are hoops or rings which connect an object to a piece of jewelry.
- Julie
0 comments:
Post a Comment