Ferroniere

A History of the Ferroniere

Excerpt from the dissertation "A Detailed History of Jewelry and Lapidary: How Cultural and Philosophical Mores Influenced Our Adornments" by the High Lady Auvyra Vonnalaiel, Second Daughter of House Vonnalaiel of Illistim, Master Jeweler.

Chapter 10: Ferronieres

Origins

With the exception of the Aelotoi and the Half-Krolvin, all Elanith's races have developed, at times independently, a version of a forehead-centered gem suspended from a chain, generically termed a ferroniere. Due to their other-planar enslavement, it is obvious why the aelotoi did not develop this jewelry. Half-Krolvin present a trickier situation, but one theory is that enslavement and isolation kept them from being exposed to what some believe to be the root cause for this jewelry style: the forehead gem.

Rare and elusive, forehead gems possess unusual properties that allow them to adhere without benefit of chains to the wearer's forehead. True forehead gems number in the scant hundreds and surface only rarely in society. There are documented sightings of forehead gems¹ thousands of years back, and some cultures attribute them supernatural powers and qualities. The mystique, therefore, yielded a desire. The desire yielded a product: ferronieres.

Generally speaking, any gem on a chain² designed to be held at the center forehead is a ferroniere, and the term's origins are lost to antiquity. Despite onerous research, no one has ever discovered exactly when the word "ferroniere" appeared, nor where the term itself originated. From the forehead gem-inspired ferroniere, however, we have some racially and culturally specific versions which we can delineate.

Whether inspired by the mystical forehead gems or by fashion, the myriad examples of chained forehead jewelry are fascinating. Many people, regardless of culture or race, will choose a ferroniere fashioned to their own choosing rather than be limited to the specific variations described below. Thus, a human is equally, if not more likely, to wear a ferroniere rather than a seer-stone, for example.