Do you know the expression better to be thought of as a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt - well sometimes when I open my mouth, I really feel it hard. Sometimes perhaps I need to say less, but here we go anyway.
I wanted to talk about the privilege of you lot when you send in your photos of your ensembles. Whether it is Daniel in Germany wearing our Clementine Chambon X Le Noeud Papillon limited edition double printed scarf as a four in hand, or whether its Fabio Attanasio from The Bespoke Dudes in Milan showing us his best black tie game in a cream shawl lapel tuxedo wearing our bow tie and cummerbund, it makes I, Nicholas Atgemis, the most privileged little upstart from Sydney who thought he could make a living out of self tying bow ties made in Sydney, Australia.
Did you know I started in the Paddington Markets? Or that two sisters that had a leather wallets business called Pratten in William Street Paddington let me have a small space on their wall to put my first bow ties? I still have the photos. Or that a man called Sassi Jazani who now runs Canali in Australia, gave me my first city store when I showed him a Holland And Sherry velvet bow ties I made and he was blown away and placed an order. All those years ago!
All those things are a great privilege, not a right, built over time through relationships, some more than 18 years now.
Now I want to get back to my new great love, my worry beads. I was accused the other week of being an addict, such a strange thing, it was over my need for more mcloving. I don’t want to go there it’s just ridiculous. However, I can say something I feel addicted to at the moment, and that is making worry beads. It almost feels compulsive.
And so this week I was again back on my Chat GPT, I really feel I am getting my subscription’s worth, and I was researching again each of the true gemstones that I love, and obviously, as most of you know, I am fascinated even if I am limited in my knowledge, with Greek Mythology.
So what do you think my next foray was? Finding out more about where gemstones were mentioned in Greek mythology and now I am going to give you the most interesting little tid bits for you to deploy at your next dinner party. Are you ready?
Amethyst:
So, the story goes, Amethystos prayed to Artemis, goddess of the hunt and wilderness, protector of the vulnerable, and asked that she protect her chastity against the advances of Dionysus, god of ecstasy and chaos, wine and theatre, madness and revelation. Artemis turned her into clear quartz. Dionysus, unable to have his conquest, remorseful, poured wine over the crystal, turning it purple. The name amethystos in fact means ‘not drunken’ in Greek, the stone stands for sobriety, self-restraint, clarity of mind and wisdom.
Amber:
Known as ‘elektron’ in Greek, it was said to be the tears of Heliades, sister of Phaethon, who wept endlessly when Phaethon lost control of Helios’ chariot and plunged it into the River Eridanus.
Garnet:
When Persephone was stuck in the underworld with Hades, Demeter, goddess of the harvest, mother of Persephone, searched high and wide for her. Zeus, fearing the destruction of humanity if the goddess of the harvest ripped up the land, made a compromise and negotiated the release of Persephone with Hades, but before Hades let her go he fed her food of the underworld, pomegranate seeds, which bonded her to the underworld for half the year, the beginning of the seasons. Garnet was considered the stone that represented the pomegranate seeds, and it became associated with the cycle of the seasons, rebirth, love, darkness, acceptance, passion and commitment. It is a wonderful stone often given to travellers and those about to embark on a journey.
The list goes on but that’s all I have time for today. Suffice to say I keep finding ways to bring these stones together and it is filling up my lunch times which is better that filling up my mouth with food.
Now I hope I didn’t make a fool of myself when I opened my mouth this time. I hope you walk away with something great to talk about.
