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Aiguillette (ornament)

 

 
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Aiguillette (ornament)
 
 
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An aiguillette, aguillette or aiglet (from French aiguille "needle") is a decorative tag or tip for a cord
Cord (sewing)

In sewing, cord is a trim made by twisting two or more strands of yarn together. Cord is used in a number of textile arts including dressmaking, upholstery, macram?, and couching ....
 or ribbon
Ribbon

A ribbon or riband is a thin band of flexible material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily for binding and tying....
, usually of gold
Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and atomic number 79. It is a highly sought-after precious metal, having been used as money, as a store of value, in jewelry, in sculpture, and for ornamentation since the beginning of recorded history....
 and sometimes set with gemstone
Gemstone

A gemstone or gem, also called a precious or semi-precious stone, is a piece of attractive mineral, which — when cut and polished — is used to make jewellery or other adornments....
s or enamel
Vitreous enamel

In a discussion of material science, enamel is the colorful result of fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 degrees Celsius....
ed. Small cords and ribbon bows tipped with pairs of aiguilettes were fashionable ornaments in the 16th and early 17th centuries.

In contemporary military and civil uniforms, an aiguillette
Aiguillette

An aiguillette is an ornamental braided Cord most often worn on uniforms but may also be observed on other costumes such as academic dress, where it will denote an honor....
 is an ornamental braided cord with a similar metal tip, derived from armor fastenings, and the plastic or metal aglet
Aglet

An aglet or aiglet is a small plastic or metal sheath typically found on the ends of shoelaces, Rope and drawstrings. Aglets keep the fibers from unraveling, and their firmness and narrow profile make them easier to hold and feed through the Grommet, lugs or other lacing guides of the lace or cord....
 on a shoe lace is also a direct descendant.

The word is also variously spelled aglet or aglette.

Uses
Aiguillettes were made in sets, and might be of silver, silver-gilt, or gold.

Surviving portraits show that aiguillettes could be functional or purely decorative, though many were used to "close" seams and slashes that are not always apparent on dark garments in portraits.






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An aiguillette, aguillette or aiglet (from French aiguille "needle") is a decorative tag or tip for a cord
Cord (sewing)

In sewing, cord is a trim made by twisting two or more strands of yarn together. Cord is used in a number of textile arts including dressmaking, upholstery, macram?, and couching ....
 or ribbon
Ribbon

A ribbon or riband is a thin band of flexible material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily for binding and tying....
, usually of gold
Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and atomic number 79. It is a highly sought-after precious metal, having been used as money, as a store of value, in jewelry, in sculpture, and for ornamentation since the beginning of recorded history....
 and sometimes set with gemstone
Gemstone

A gemstone or gem, also called a precious or semi-precious stone, is a piece of attractive mineral, which — when cut and polished — is used to make jewellery or other adornments....
s or enamel
Vitreous enamel

In a discussion of material science, enamel is the colorful result of fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 degrees Celsius....
ed. Small cords and ribbon bows tipped with pairs of aiguilettes were fashionable ornaments in the 16th and early 17th centuries.

In contemporary military and civil uniforms, an aiguillette
Aiguillette

An aiguillette is an ornamental braided Cord most often worn on uniforms but may also be observed on other costumes such as academic dress, where it will denote an honor....
 is an ornamental braided cord with a similar metal tip, derived from armor fastenings, and the plastic or metal aglet
Aglet

An aglet or aiglet is a small plastic or metal sheath typically found on the ends of shoelaces, Rope and drawstrings. Aglets keep the fibers from unraveling, and their firmness and narrow profile make them easier to hold and feed through the Grommet, lugs or other lacing guides of the lace or cord....
 on a shoe lace is also a direct descendant.

The word is also variously spelled aglet or aglette.

Uses


Aiguillettes were made in sets, and might be of silver, silver-gilt, or gold.

Surviving portraits show that aiguillettes could be functional or purely decorative, though many were used to "close" seams and slashes that are not always apparent on dark garments in portraits. They were made in matched sets and were worn in masses. The Day Book of the Wardrobe of Robes of Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I of England

Elizabeth I was List of English monarchs and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the House of Tudor....
 records items given and received into storage, including details of buttons and aiguillettes lost from the Queen's clothing:

Lost the 2 of February ... [1582] 1 bunsh of small gold tagges or aglettes from a gowne of black satten at Sittingbourne parcell [part] of uppon the same gowne 193 bunshes


Elizabeth's aiguillettes were variously enameled with white, red, black, blue, and purple details or set with diamond
Diamond

In mineralogy, diamond is the Allotropes of carbon where the carbon atoms are arranged in an isometric-hexoctahedral crystal lattice. After graphite, diamond is the second most stable form of carbon....
s, garnet
Garnet

The garnet group includes a group of minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. The name "garnet" comes from the Latin language granatus , possibly a reference to the Punica granatum , a plant with red seeds similar in shape, size, and color to some garnet crystals....
s, rubies
Ruby

A ruby is a pink to blood-red gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum . The red color is caused mainly by the presence of the element chromium....
, and pearls; those of Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark

Anne of Denmark was queen consort of Kingdom of Scotland, Kingdom of England, and Kingdom of Ireland as spouse of King James I of England.The second daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark, Anne married James in 1589 at the age of fourteen and bore him three children who survived infancy, including the future Charles I of England....
 in the early years of the 17th century were larger, shaped in triangles and pyramids. One set of 24 were made three-sided, with "27 diamonds in the sides and one in the top", for a total of 642 diamonds in the set.

Gallery


See also

  • 1500-1550 in fashion
    1500-1550 in fashion

    Fashion in the period 1500-1550 in Western Europe is marked by voluminous clothing worn in an abundance of layers . Contrasting fabrics, slashes, embroidery, applied trims, and other forms of surface ornamentation became prominent....
  • 1550-1600 in fashion
    1550-1600 in fashion

    Fashion in the period 1550-1600 in Western European clothing is characterized by increased opulence, the rise of the ruff , the expansion of the farthingale for women, and, for men, the disappearance of the codpiece....
  • 1600-1650 in fashion
    1600-1650 in fashion

    Fashion in the period 1600-1650 in Western European clothing is characterized by the disappearance of the ruff in favour of broad lace or linen collar ....