Permanent Jewelry

Dr. Abby Lillethun, Professor in the Art and Design Department, recently commented on the permanent jewelry trend for CT Insider.

What began as a social media phenomenon has spread; you might see permanent-jewelry popups at the local spin studio, hair salon or farmers market, or at traditional stores.

If you’re new to the concept, permanent jewelry isn’t as scary as it sounds. A chain is made into a bracelet, anklet, ring or necklace with the ends welded together, no clasp. There’s no pain involved as there is in getting a tattoo. And technically, it’s not permanent since you can cut off the chain.

Jewelry is one of the oldest ways to express sentiment, so it’s no surprise that permanent adornments have captured the public’s imagination, said Dr. Lillethun. Skeletons adorned in jewelry have been found at sites thousands of years old, including pieces made of gold and semiprecious stones. Humans also used shells and nuts strung together on plant fiber and fashioned into necklaces as far back as the Mesolithic period. As with any fashion, jewelry trends change over time, but what’s out often ends up coming back in.

“Jewelry that doesn’t have a clasp is not new, but at this moment, it is new,” Dr. Lillethun said. The trend is about identifying your tribe, connection, rites of passage and commemoration. “It is differentiating from the past and a new way to mark a moment,” she said. “We all have a drive for novelty, but we also want to be like those who you identify with or want to emulate,” Dr. Lillethun said.