Українські прикраси / Ukrainian jewelry

The main element in any dukach is a medallion which was used to create the classical dukach we know today. The medallion was mainly of a round shape with a certain image on it – it was either carved, molded, engraved or decorated with designs, depending upon the technique used by the goldsmith. It was a common practice when the customer gave an already made medallion to the goldsmith and the master only had to add it to the composition and finish the brooch or certain elements on it. Sometimes in such cases men’s award medals served as the basis for a dukach and this fact is a bit not completely understood by the people nowadays. Examples of the traditional Ukrainian adornments from the exhibits of Yurii Kovalenko in Cherkasy Regional Museum of Local Lore (2017-2018)* * Example А – Prylutskii Dukach, ХІХ century, silver, glass. The medallion is a medal “As a Keepsake about the Patriotic War of 1812.” (“As a Keepsake about the Patriotic War of 1812.”), silver. The medal ca...

Dukaches had their own stylistic features in each region due to the influence of various factors. So-called Volyn dukaches form a separate group. The main feature of Volyn dukaches is the variety of its forms. They are so different that sometimes it's hard to say that they are all from Volyn region. Volyn dukaches substantially differ from their prototypes which were worn by Ukrainian women in other regions.  At the same time adornments that were very similar to the Podil-type dukaches were widely spread in separate regions of Volyn. Because of this, sometimes it can be very difficult to identify the place of origin of a dukach adornment. It is explained by the fact that Volyn is at the crossroads of various cultures (Ukrainian, Belorussian, Lithuanian, Polish, Jewish, Hungarian and Austrian). That’s why alongside with the traditional Ukrainian forms and production methods, artwork elements of other nations have had greater influence on Volyn dukaches more than on other...