All That Glitters is Not Gold - But We Love It Anyway!

Here at Playful Promises, we have a slight infatuation with all things gold. Made a little bit obvious with our recent Peek & Beau releases, we just love to add a bit of sparkle into our lingerie, and definitely don't plan on changing that any time soon!

But what's the deal with gold?

In popular culture, gold generally means something great (we have to agree) - the phrases "you're golden", "golden child" or "a heart of gold" come to mind. Gold symbolises success and wealth. Gold is used as a reward in many competitive events like sports or other award ceremonies such as the Oscars. It's also used to describe age or wisdom, such as your "golden years", or fiftieth wedding anniversaries are known as "golden anniversaries"

However, in some western fables, gold is a cause for corruption. For example, the boastful miller in Rumplestiltskin lies to the king, saying that his daughter can spin straw into gold. When the king insists on the daughter to do so - threatening to chop off her head if she doesn't oblige. When she is desperate, Rumplestiltskin appears and spins the straw into gold for the price of her necklace. The king pushes her to make more, and eventually she is told she has to give her first born son to Rumplestiltskin - a trade he only revealed to her after he'd already spun the straw into gold.

In Christianity and Judaism, gold can be associated with both holiness and evil. In the Book of Exodus, the Golden Calf (where Iraelites created a gold calf in Moses absence) is a symbol of idolatry. However in religious iconography, gold features heavily, particularly on halos.

Gold is often shrouded in mystery, and there are many rumoured found treasures, often following tragedies such as a stash of gold on the Titantic, Jewish treasures in the Vatican following the destruction of the temple in 70AD, or the gold stolen from victims by Nazis in World War II.

It's safe to say that gold is never dull! The juxtaposition of gold used to celebrate, but also symbolic of greed and corruption makes it all the more interesting. Besides, it is of course beautiful and works wonderfully well with our collection of contemporary styles, with a cheeky nod to symbolism and ideologies.