Greater Louisville Region member Carrie Wright will present this program that she presented at the national Jane Austen conference held in Louisville last year. She is tapping into her geology background to take a look at the importance of jewelry in Jane Austen's novels. There is more to Mrs. Elton's pearls than meets the eyes!

Major transitions in European jewelry styles and materials occurred over the course of Jane Austen’s lifetime, from the audacious, jewel-encrusted splendor of the pre-revolutionary French court to the more rational and understated Neoclassical-style jewelry following the French Revolution into the Regency Era. These changes in style and materials used in the jewelry represent shifting sources of gems in an increasingly global economy, changing geopolitical situations, and the continued rise of the middle class. In her talk, Carrie will examine the resulting changes in social politics, and the ability of several of Austen’s characters to navigate these new and mutable social waters as reflected in their relationship with jewelry in the novels. And, of course, she will also discuss Jane’s own jewelry!

Meetings are open to the public.