Jewellery In Larp (and SCA and Reenactment)

[Lig]

I've put this on the General forum, not the Making/Buying forum, because it's more of a sociological question than a practical one. I work as a jeweller, and a larp as a hobby. So far, there hasn't been enough of a link between the two - not on a personal level, but for the larp community generally.

Why isn't there more jewellery in larp? We all know that accessorising costumes can really bring them to life - a good belt, hat or pouch can make a huge difference to a character. So why not jewellery? Well, cost is definately an issue. In gold and silver, the costs are high, and anyone who can do it in copper might as well be working in gold and silver, and making lots of money. I'm not convinced cost is the reason, though. In the UK, it's not unusual for people to spend £100 on their weapons, and hundreds of pounds on armour. So why not a bangle, ring or brooch? It's probably the old "£50 on sword, £10 on costume" thing.

A big part of it must be availability. Styles that are appropriate to larp are often not seen on the high street, or they are antique styles that are expensive to aquire. Commission work is expensive, too, as I said above. So it's finding the right combination of availability and cost, and practicality too.

With this in mind, I'm working on a guide to "medieval-ish" larp jewellery - this is initially aimed at Empire LRP, in the UK, but is relevant to any pre-modern setting. If you are interested, you can download the latest draft here: http://bit.ly/MUZ63a

But I'm really interested in how people feel about jewellery in larp, or SCA and reenactment, which aren't a million miles away in terms of hobbies.

I am hoping to start selling some jewellery to the larp market, in what I consider to be the "golden" price bracket, of £5 to £20 - that will be a mix of reconditioned 2nd hand silver jewellery, bronze castings and gilt copper fabrications. Initially at least, it won't be terribly profitable, but the reason I'm doing is more for the hobby than my own pocket!

[BaronBlackRose]

Well it really depends on whether you are talking nobility or peasantry. Or MErchants the inbetween. The everyday adventurers is not going to be all blinged out during an adventure.
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[Lig]

That's an interesting point. But even at larger events, where there is a mix of noble and peasant, adverturer and merchant, jewellery seems to be the last thing anyone would think of in terms of costume.

I do take issue with the idea of adventurers not wearing bling, though - in medieval Europe, there were all sorts of mercenaries, free companies and so on, and they would often be very blinged up - the lack of a stable home meant they often had to carry their wealth. But of course real world history doesn't tell us much about larp.

One thing that probably does have an impact is "ingame effect" - ie. your sword and armour give you ingame benefits that jewellery usually doesn't. Even a belt and pouch is useful, because you can store things in it. On the other hand, if larp jewellery was more common, perhaps more games would list "enchanted rings" and "holy symbols" as useful items.

I think I'll make a point of getting blinged up for when Empire starts next year - but then I am playing a fixer/spymaster type in a nation inspired by medieval Italy, so bling definately fits with the look! Even then, I bet you that I'll spend more on general costume than I will on jewellery; if I can't convince myself, how can I convince everyone else

[BaronBlackRose]

Well don;t forget magic swords, Staves, etc. had some bling.
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Just when you thought the worse was over. Here I am. :0)

[Lord_Grey]

The original reasoning why magic Swords et cetera were decked out with 'bling' was because these items were sentient, each with some sort of EGO of their own. While they may not have been skilled in communication(s) they somehow managed to get their wishes known to their temporary owner(s).

[BaronBlackRose]

No usually when a magic weapon is made. It's creator usually adorns it with bling. To make it look awesome and magickal.
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Just when you thought the worse was over. Here I am. :0)