biographies

Jewellery
Among all jewellery, earrings and rings dated back to medieval times, while botonia and ambrakami owed their origin to the Renaissance. Certain items, such as chains of coins, reflect general tendencies throughout the Mediterranean.

Bracelets represent another, more recent fashion, derived from German-speaking countries. Jewellery unique to Crete includes silver-sheathed male knives, signet rings and the daktylidos engagement ring.





Men's accessories and knives
Young Cretan girl wearing jewellery
Cretan knives with silver sheaths
Ambrakamos with cross (Historical Museum of Crete, © S.C.H.S, Heraklion)
Early 20th century chains of coins (Ioannis M. Tzanis Collection)
A young Cretan girl wearing coin chains and an ambrakamos, 1949 (Andreas Lagoudakis, Ioannis M. Tzanis Collection)