If there was no word in Greek antiquity to designate blue, and that the Romans did not carry it either in their heart because they associated it with the barbaric peoples enemies of northern Europe; the rehabilitation of the color begins from the 12th century. So much so that today blue has become a consensual color: guarantor of conformism, it is also the favorite color of Westerners - including the French - and this since ... the late nineteenth century!
The blue hour
Peder Severin Kroyer, Summer afternoon on the south beach of Skagen. 1893, Skagen, Skagen Kunstmuseer.
Do you know what the blue hour is? It's that moment in the twilight, "between dog and wolf", when the sky darkens and takes on a new shade of blue. In 1912, Jacques Guerlain created an eponymous perfume, "[that] of suspended time, [at] the hour when the day embraces the night" which contributed to the generalization of this poetic concept.
Bracelet Art Deco blue chalcedony
Because blue suits the romantics: we think for example of the iconic blue suit of the main character of the Sufferings of Young Werther, by Goethe, or the paintings of Caspar David Friedrich, of which you may know The Traveler contemplating a sea of clouds.
Caspar David Friedrich, The Traveler Contemplating a Sea of Clouds [Detail], 1818, Hamburg, Kunsthalle.
And then, of course, there is the expression "blue flower", inspired by Novalis' novel Henri d'Ofterdingen (1802), which we already talked about in our article on the turquoise. The blue is here the color of the dream, of the melancholy, of the vague-à-l 'âme inherent to the artists of the first half of the XIXth and later to the composers of blues!
Sentimental flower ring with pearls on enamel
Speaking of blue flowers, our delicate blue enamel ring decorated with a flower and fine pearls will delight the most romantic. Moreover, ultramarine blue enamel was particularly appreciated in the 19th century.
Ultramarine Blue
Originally, this particular color was obtained by grinding pigments of lapis lazuli, a fine stone of an intense blue sometimes speckled with white and spangled with gold. It is found for example on the funeral mask of Tutankhamen, the blue color being considered a good luck charm in the afterlife in ancient Egypt. But the stone is still prized today to adorn the most beautiful jewelry, like our modernist style ring.
Domed ring modernist style lapis lazuli
Not surprisingly, ultramarine blue was not cheap. It is even whispered that in the 17th century it was much more expensive than gold. From 1830 on, lapis lazuli was replaced by a synthetic pigment, which contributed to the democratization of the color.
The last revolution, to our knowledge, around ultramarine blue took place at the turn of the 1960s. The artist Yves Klein noticed that the pigment, in the form of blue powder, became dull when mixed with linseed oil. With the help of a color merchant, he developed a new method that allowed ultramarine to retain its brilliance. Klein patented this process under the name of I.K.B, International Klein Blue, and it is to him that we owe the "blue klein" passed into everyday language but be careful with its use! it is a protected name. For those who will not have the chance to go this summer, we strongly advise you to go to the Centre Pompidou to admire the hypnotic IKB3, Blue Monochrome (1960). As the rights to the work have not yet been transferred to the public domain, we'll slip you our equally bewitching checkerboard, enamel and diamond ring instead.
Checkerboard ring, enamel and diamonds
Glorious blues
Nicolas Poussin, The Assumption of the Virgin [Detail], ca. 1630-1632, Washington, National Gallery of Art.
Blue is the iconographic color of Mary of Nazareth since the twelfth century. It reminds indeed the color of the sky, while God is light and therefore closer to the color white. If you want to know more about the cult of the Virgin, we refer you to our article on the religious jewelry. In any case, Mary seems to be a good agent for the promotion of the blue color since the kings of France take it: the coronation mantle is also blue since the thirteenth century. Moreover, the notion of "blue blood" still symbolizes nobility today. And do you know where the expression comes from? It is said to have originated in the Middle Ages at the Spanish Court, where people prided themselves on having a complexion so pale that it showed their veins... blue, unlike the workers!
Yellow gold and star sapphire ring
In another register, that of mythology, blue is associated with Zeus (don't get me started) who reigns over the kingdom of heaven. Now, Zeus - or Jupiter in Roman mythology, is linked to Sagittarius and by extension the color blue is associated by astrologers to the natives of the sign. This could explain why people born in December have the choice between several birthstonesnamely blue zircon, tanzanite or turquoise all more or less blue!
Comb, tiara, stars, turquoise and horn
We take this opportunity to give zircon its letters of nobility: it is a fine stone in its own right, which has nothing to do with zirconium oxide used as an affordable substitute for diamond.
And if you Sagittarians legitimately think that you would have been satisfied with a sapphirethe gemstone is associated with Virgo - and therefore with the natives of September! Coincidence with the blue coat of Saint Mary?
From baby blue to "something blue
Edgar Degas, Blue Dancers, ca. 1890, Paris, Musée d'Orsay.
In popular culture, blue is also linked to two important events: the birth of a child and marriage.
Indeed, in this time of strong questioning of the gender, we question the traditions and that of "pink for the girls, blue for the boys" does not escape it. But did you know that this is a relatively recent custom? It was in fact put in place in the 1920s, after the First World War. As newborns were traditionally dressed in white, parents didn't need to redo the wardrobe of their future offspring with each new pregnancy... so they found this parade to double the purchases and at the same time, participate in the revival of the economy.
Art Deco aquamarine ring surrounded by diamonds
As for the wedding, if you have read our article on the aquamarine you know that there is a tradition, also quite recent (it dates from the late nineteenth century), according to which the bride must wear, among other things, something blue. Indeed, blue is symbolically the color of wisdom and fidelity. It is claimed that since queen Victoriawhose wedding bouquet was composed of veronicas, every bridal bouquet from the royal family is made with these lovely little blue-purple flowers, from the plan created from Victoria's bouquet. Definitely, what an influencer!
Sapphire daisy ring with diamonds
And Lady Diana's marguerite of Lady Diana, now on the finger of Kate Middleton, is it not adorned with a huge sapphire? The blue gem, for the reasons mentioned above, and widely popular for engagement rings. It is even whispered that the gemstone would lose its splendor on the finger of an unfaithful woman.
If blue is your favorite color too, here is a list of the most commonly used blue stones in jewelry: Apatite, blue agate, azurite, chalcedony, iolite, labradorite, lapis lazuli, and other blue stones, aquamarineazurite, chalcedony, iolite, labradorite, lapis lazuli, sapphiresodalite, spinel, topaz, indigolite tourmaline, paraiba tourmaline and turquoise. And we can't resist mentioning the blue diamond whose story we tell you right here.
Mellerio dits Meller sapphire and diamond ring
Stay tuned if you like blue, because next month we'll tell you more about the gem of the natives of September and the most precious of blue stones: the sapphire of course!
ring-gold-rose-calcedony-blue-pearls: ring-tank-rolls-sapphire-diamonds: ring-chevaliere-vintage-gold-: ring-jonc-vintage-gold-sapphire: ring-fiancailles-toi-moi-aigue-marine