Equestrian Jewelry

The history of mankind has been marked by partnership with four animals: the chicken, the cow, the dog, and the horse. While the dog has come to symbolize loyalty, devotion and intelligence, the horse has come to denote power, freedom, speed and grace. It is probably for this reason that the horse, more than any other animal, has inspired commemeration in the form of jewelry.

The most expensive media for equestrian jewelry are gold and silver, sometimes set with precious gems. Lower priced horse jewelry is often pewter, or even plastic. Native peoples often carved horses out of bone or ivory, depending on where they lived.

The most common theme for jewelry of an equestrian nature is the horse head, epitomized by the knight in the Staunton chess set. The other, extremely common theme for such jewelry is the horseshoe. After these two themes would come the full profile of the horse in motion. Finally, representations of various pieces of tack such as saddles, stirrups and bits appear.

In general, the largest representations of horses take the form of necklaces or pendants. Next in size come brooches or cameos. Finally, earrings or charms for bracelets often have an equestrian theme. Although the smallest, charms are often extremely well executed and surprisingly detailed.

Besides the obvious beauty of equestrian jewelry, the biggest reason for its popularity is the desire on the part of the wearer to identify themselves as 'horse people'. More than any other group, horse people live and breathe their interest. The fact that horses today are seen as a hobby or sport by most people does nothing to detract from the passion horse lovers have for their large partners. Other people simply don't 'get it'. But for a true horse afficianado, a tasteful bit of flash with an equestrian theme just helps to keep the passion going when they can't actually be with their horses.