Antique jewelry glossary

Welcome to our extensive antique jewelry glossary with around 1,500 jewelry related entries.If you feel you are missing an explanation, feel free to let us know and we will add it.

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Ivy

See our: ivy jewelry.

Ivy is a plant with great symbolism

With its evergreen leaves, it symbolizes immortality. But it also symbolizes death as it kills trees by eating their juices.

The romantic facet of ivy

The vitality of the plant represents stealthy joy of living. The romantic facet of ivy is based upon its tendrils which attach to a wall affectionately. In French they say 'Je m'attache ou je meurs' (I hold on or I die) !

At weddings in Greece they used to give an ivy garland for the young couple as a sign of 'everlasting love and fidelity'

The religious facet of ivy

In the Christian faith the ivy flower was always close related with the dead, later (and also now) was the ivy plant the symbol of faithful devotion and friendship till after the dead, there is a nice phrase about this in French 'Rien ne peut m'en detacher' (nothing can loosen me from it) .

See also: flower symbolism