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TRADE RINGS

Their History, Use, and Meaning

by Chuck Leonard. © 2000

The practice of using finger rings for trade or for gifts to the Native Americans began before 1650. These trade rings often had stamped or engraved symbols on a variety of plaque shapes and were used for over 250 years.

When first introduced by French Jesuit missionaries, the rings were made of brass and had scenes of saints or religious monograms stamped on (or cast into) round or oval plaques. In 1702 seventy-two dozen of these, Jesuit style trade rings, were ordered from Europe. They were ordered for the Kaskaskia Mission in Illinois, to be used as rewards for learning catechism or in exchange for food.

By 1700 these rings were also being used by fur traders for gifts or barter. This greatly increased the number of rings produced and the production technique changed. The rings were cast plain and crudely engraved later, perhaps by the trader. By 1750 the rings were most often engraved with secular motifs on oval, heart and octagonal plaques. Some rings were made of silver, as shown by a fur trader's order, in 1798, for "six dozen silver finger rings with oval plates".

Early photographs show how the rings were worn and that they were used well into the 20th century. Archaeological findings also show that the rings were worn on both hands, by both sexes, sometimes several rings to the finger.

There seems to be five or six major patterns of plaque design. The first type, the initial rings, all have one, two, or three initials in their design. The second have L and heart as part of their design. The third, the X, XX or M rings all have crossing straight lines as part of their motif. The impressed heart (or hearts) design rings are the fourth style. Fifth and sixth are the clasped hands and the cross or saint motif rings.

The symbolic meaning of the plaque design is the subject of an enormous amount of conjecture. The matter is complicated; one must keep in mind that the Indian and the designer probably had different ideas as to the meaning of the plaque designs and that style drift of these plaque designs almost certainly occurred. There is much room for research.

These obscure, but intriguing, little bits of early American history are still being found, researched and even reproduced by a few silversmiths for those who find them interesting.

If you want to get the highest quality craftsmanship when it comes to Asian furniture, you must know the location where the furniture was made and exactly what lumber and hardware were chosen. For instance, Japanese furniture is usually crafted from reclaimed solid wood and made in Japan, however sometimes in other Asian countries. Check out a number of antique console tables as an example, which might pair perfectly with an antique china cabinet. Don't they work a whole lot nicer as a group? They've lasted more than a generation and may be passed on as heirlooms to the following generation. If you're considering home interior decorating ideas, you need to understand how to invest wisely: choose high quality items that will be around for a long time.

Getting the top benefits for your dollar is not only a skill-set put to use when purchasing home furniture, but one that is valuable while purchasing other furnishings as well, which includes your bathroom interiors. If you have an appealing theme for your bathroom, your experience is going to be substantially more enjoyable and pleasant. However, a number of people will always keep to their spending budget, which is generally a smart strategy. If you would like start off small with excellent improvements, you should start with transforming your bathroom's light fixtures? Invest in some energy-conserving lights and make sure that every spot will be well-lighted. This will make the bathroom seem a great deal bigger and a lot more open than it is.

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Speaking of cooking, have you dreamed about making some upgrades to your kitchen? What about updating your old cabinets with new kitchen cabinets? This way, you won't have to have cabinets exactly like everyone else. You get to have beautiful and practical cabinets just the way you dreamed of, in your individual style, with every little detail matching your personal desire. You can decide to implement the simple style and minimalist design of Japanese decor. If your kitchen is in your basement, consider checking out this resource on basement remodeling. You could even use some house remodeling software. However why finish with the kitchen area? As soon as you get your modest project moving, I bet you'll be a lot more encouraged to redesign the rest of your residence. Let's start outside! For those with a large enough yard in front of the house, make certain to choose the best landscaping ideas for front yard. This means having the very best design and features suitable for your house - regardless of how classy and trendy your yard is, if friends can't even reach the entranceway, then what's the use? So take into account both efficiency and aesthetics while having your front yard designed. When it comes to your patio and porch, I highly recommend stylish-furniture.com for ideas and reviews of modern outdoor furniture. Find a solid wood table which has an outdoor patio umbrella in the center to provide your house a particular tropical charm. Wicker kinds are wonderful also. For nights outdoors, you could have light fixture parts mounted around your patio and front yard to help establish a tranquil ambiance. You can spend time there with the family or good friends and have a little gathering while bonding over drinks and a meal. Seems really nice, right?

However, wouldn't it be fabulous to create a home showing just one motif? Given that we outlined the use of Japanese decor previously, wouldn't it be wonderful for your family members and visitors to enter your house through stunning doors? Wooden doors, specifically those created from hardwood, can deliver protection for any residence because of their strength. They're able to withstand any conditions, they don't tarnish and in addition they come in several delicate carved patterns.

As soon as you get the entrance doors established, you can then start working on your living room and make sure you have one of the best coffee tables out there. Don't forget, they function as the focus of your living room and consequently should seem interesting while also being useful. If you are able to work from home, then why not improve your workspace as well? Nplfurniture.com is an online retailer of credenza office furniture

In case you have only a little space but who wish to create a division between the living room and homeoffice or the dining room, they could arrange a room divider between the areas. Tansu would be excellent here. Not just used against a wall, or as a staircase for the kids climbing up to their bunk beds, tansu can also serve as a ideal room divider as they look wonderful on either sides. Additionally, it is possible to store valuable objects on its shelves like classic vases or possibly a small TV. You can even ask home decorator and they may recommend the same thing.

For your dining room, to keep true to that rustic yet stylish motif, you should buy antique dining furniture. While priced a lot higher than the non-antique variety, this is only because their value and elegance is indisputable. You can certainly get them at traditional furniture retailers, and in some cases at rummage sales. Should the expense be too great to suit your needs, then at the very least purchase one of those kitchen tables created from solid or reclaimed wood. They're much less costly, however they unquestionably are tough.

Dining tables grow to be even more desirable when using nicefine table linen.You'll be able to combine it with complementary earthenware dishes and silverware at the same time.

Now we get to the very last big space of your property. The bedroom is a person's retreat, an area where you can be yourself, in which you can de-stress, read a book, do personal projects, prepare an amorous night, and much more. Therefore, for the bedroom, apart from ensuring the rest of the furniture is constructed of wood, one more thing you are able to do is purchase a wall mirror. It is a common selection for improving any house. Once positioned in the bedroom, it allows a lot more light to be reflected, consequently helping to make the space look bigger without needing to add extra room or light.You can also apply this in your basement (if you have one) should you want to turn it to a place in which people can spend time, rather than just storing older things there until it gets moldy and dusty. If you are going all out, seek advice from an expert about your basement flooring options together with your overall house designs and floor plans. You don't want to take a path you know practically nothing about. For the basement, it is possible to cover your floor with paint, plywood, bamboo, vinyl, tiles, or any substance you see fit providing you ensure that there won't be any rain water seepage. The temperature in the basement varies more greatly that that of every other area in your house. Humidity levels are also unique therefore the products used must be able to tolerate the atmosphere down there.

Finally, I encourage you to consider buying furniture in sets to lower the overall cost and create throughout a room. Directfurnituresets.com recommended these dining room furniture sets , it's worth taking a look.

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For Catalog of Trade Rings - click on the Link

http://www.geocities.com/trade_silver/Trade_Ring_Catalog.html