Ukrainian women knew how to decorate themselves. They wore jewelry made of precious metals and expensive materials, such as coral, pearls, mother-of-pearl, amber, silver and gold. Jewelry for Ukrainian women were not just accessories, but valuable things that were taken care of and given as a legacy from generation to generation.
Among all traditional jewelry, the coral necklace was considered the most valuable. It was called kind, wise, and sincere, and was popular all over the territory of Ukraine.
The cut coral necklace The cut coral necklace (1801/1900) by The unknown authorNational Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Honchar Museum"
The Ukrainian traditional necklace stands out from others by the fact that the beads in it are arranged from the smallest at the edges to the largest in the middle. The largest beads in the center of the necklace were often decorated with silver hoops — so-called reefs or "darmovysy".
The necklaces were strung with silver or brass beads of various sizes that people called "puhvytsi" (buttons). They could be oval, round, smooth or with ornaments. Those details were made by local master jewelers (goldsmiths).
Coral was brought to Ukraine from the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Its price depended on the color, quality, size, and shape of the bead. Red corals that were smoothly polished, perfectly oval or barrel-shaped were the most expensive ones.
The amount of coral necklaces on a woman’s neck indicated her social status. A coral necklace could have up to 35 strings and cost as much as a pair of oxen or even a house. Coral necklace was a certain way of capital storage, since such things did not lose their value, but only grew in price over time.
The sheet with old photos The family of Aksent ta Marta Plaksiyi (1928/1928) by The unknown authorNational Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Honchar Museum"
Despite the high cost, Ukrainian women did not spare money on corals. It was a family heirloom that was cherished and given as a legacy from mother to daughter.
The German traveler Otto von Hoon traveled around Ukraine in 1805. He visited Yahotyn and in his notes he stated that even poor peasant women "show cleanliness and tidy clothing, and they do not refuse to wear corals". Corals were worn on both holidays and weekdays, though on weekdays they were worn more sparingly.
The corals given by the young man were a sign of his serious intentions and great love. A woman wore the most jewelry in her youth, reducing the amount worn as she aged. There was a saying that "the better a woman lives, the longer she wears corals".
The stone necklace The stone necklace (1890/1920) by The unknown authorNational Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Honchar Museum"
Jewelry that imitates corals in shape and color started to appear in the second half of the 19th century. These necklaces could be made out of sealing wax, horn, and smalt (which was called a stone necklace). It was a kind of costume jewelry of that time.
The amber necklaces The amber necklaces (1890/1920) by The unknown authorNational Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Honchar Museum"
In Polissia and Kyiv region necklaces made out of amber were common. It had a warm golden-brown translucent color. The beads had the shape of flat disks, sometimes even with a facet, were arranged on a string according to the same principle of increasing size towards the center.
Usually a single string of amber was worn. It was placed on the chest like a frame under a coral necklace.
Balamuty (nacre necklace) (1851/1920) by UnknownNational Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Honchar Museum"
"Balamuty" were necklaces made of mother-of-pearl, and were widespread in the Eastern Podillia. The beads got their name through a transformation of the word "perlamutr", which is the Ukrainian word for mother-of-pearl. They were worn with a coral necklace, sometimes they were also supplemented with coins.
The amber necklaces The amber necklaces (1890/1920) by The unknown authorNational Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Honchar Museum"
Necklaces were fastened around the neck with ties. It was very convenient, because usually many necklaces were worn at once. They were beautifully laid out and matched to each other in length.
Necklaces made of pearls and garnets were common in the circles of the nobility and burghers (upper class) as early as the 17th-18th centuries. They were worn by young ladies from noble families. Large pearls harvested in the Persian Gulf were considered the most valuable. Pearl necklaces consisted of five, ten or more strings, in which pearls of the same size were placed alongside each other, or smaller beads could be strung with larger ones.
Naturally, city fashion got into a rural tradition as well. However, peasants rarely wore natural pearls or garnets. Glass imitations of those materials were more affordable. Almost no authentic samples of real pearls and garnets have survived.
For example, an imitation pearl necklace was made of thin white glass, which had a silver coating on the inside. Because of this, the beads had a small nacre effect, which is inherent in real pearls. Such a necklace was called "luskavka".
Girls wearing festive attire Girls wearing festive attire (1908/1908) by Ivan HoncharNational Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Honchar Museum"
Peasant women skilfully combined them with corals. The coral necklace was the focal point of the composition, with the pearl necklace worn more snugly around the neck. "Luskavky" were common in Podillia, Pokuttia and Bukovina.
Bead jewelry has many local names (sylyanka, herdan, kryzy, barshun) and was traditional for Podillia, Pokuttia, Bukovyna, Lemkivshchyna, and Boykivshchyna.
Bead necklace, sylyanka Bead necklace, sylyanka (1901/1950) by The unknown authorNational Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Honchar Museum"
They had the form of a choker or a ribbon. In addition to being worn around the neck, they could also be worn in the hair to complement the hairstyle. Sylyanka was often worn in a set with other necklaces.
In Ukraine, both body and pectoral crosses were worn. The body cross was worn under the clothes so that it was hidden from others, while the pectoral cross was worn openly, on top of the clothes. It was the central element of the entire set of jewelry decorations.
The chest cross The chest cross (1880/1900) by The unknown authorNational Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Honchar Museum"
Pectoral crosses had different shapes and decorations. They were decorated with engravings and colored enamel. The cross was worn on a ribbon or on a long chain. Sometimes even several crosses could be worn at once.
"Dukach", like the pectoral cross, was the main element of the jewelry set. There were different types of dukaches. Some were a separate coin, and others were a medallion supplemented with a bow. Heart-shaped medallions have also been found.
Dukach with a bow (1890/1900) by The unknown authorNational Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Honchar Museum"
Different types of dukaches were named after regions they were popular in (Podillia, Volyn’, Slobozhanschyna, Chernihiv region). The tradition of the dukaches was especially rich in the Poltava region, where there were multiple types of them, like Veremiivsky and Lubensky dukaches. Dukaches were categorized based on the appearance of the bow, for example horned, braided, etc.
The bow, the upper part of the dukach, was decorated with colorful glasses and stones. Coins that were used in the region were used for dukaches. They could also be medallions with religious or decorative motifs, or with initials.
The bow, that is, the upper part of the dukach, was decorated with colorful glasses and stones. For dukas, the coins that were in circulation at that time in this area were used. It could be medallions with a religious plot, or medallions in the shape of a heart.
Zgardy Zgardy (1880/1900) by The unknown authorNational Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Honchar Museum"
"Zhardy" are crosses that were made out of bronze, copper or brass and were popular in the Hutsul Region. Several pieces were worn at the same time. Sometimes a couple of strings were arranged in several rows. Zhardy were usually strung apart with metal tubes or spirals.
Menteli, women's jewelry from dukach coins Menteli, women's jewelry from duka coins (1901/1920) by The unknown authorNational Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Honchar Museum"
Coins were sometimes used as elements of a necklace. Small hooks were soldered to the coins, and they were strung together with glass or coral beads in one or more strings.
It was considered almost sinful for women under 30 to not wear earrings, so girls' ears were pierced very early, from the age of 2. The most common form of earrings were crescents. They could be hollow three-dimensional or flat, and come in different sizes with different decorations.
There are many local names for earrings (horns, "kalachyky", snakes, leeches, ducks, berries, "kovtky"). Earrings in the shape of flowers were called makivky (poppies) or "knyshyky". Often, such earrings had two levels. They also had pendants, which were called "telibons".
The ring (1901/1930) by The unknown authorNational Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Honchar Museum"
Rings were made from brass, bronze, and silver. Usually they were decorated not with precious stones, but with colored glasses, enamel or with engraved patterns. There are references that in Volyn’ region, girls wore rings on almost every finger.
Ukrainian traditional jewelry has its own stylistic features and characteristics (materials, composition, decorations). They are durable, perfected by time and do not need "improvements". Such things are beyond trends and time. They are worth preserving and reproducing in their original aesthetics. They can be naturally and beautifully adapted to modern times, while still preserving tradition.
Research and text: Yaryna Dron
Project curator and exhibition design: Yuliya Novoseltseva
Historical advisers: Oleksandra Storchay, Hanna Koshmanenko, Viktoriya Kutsuruk
Proofreading: Yuliya Patlan
Translation: Bohdana Voytenko, Hanna Shendryk
Selection of exhibits: Oleksandra Storchay, Hanna Koshmanenko
Photo: Mariya Poshyvaylo, Anastasiya Telikova
The material is licensed under Creative Commons NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
