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CLASPS The Vital Link For a necklace to not be worn because the clasp is too difficult to use is comparable to a writer's article or book not being read because the type is too illegible. 62 ORNAMENT 36.2.2012 I Robert K. Liu f the oldest ornaments, perforated shells, did not show string wear, we would have little proof that early humans wore adornments around their necks. There is very little archaeological evidence for how necklaces were linked, fastened or tied to enable them to stay on necks, but it is one of the most important factors in the functionality of contemporary necklaces. I have written about this topic for a long time and decided to re-visit clasps by surveying necklaces in Ornament's photographic archives from the past thirty years, covering everything from string ties to torques, which normally require no closures (Liu 1974, 1995b, 2001). Images chosen demonstrate their diversity, purposes and what types of components they link. The surge of interest in beads during the late twentieth century and consequent exponential increase in the number of necklaces made with beads, including glass, polymer, stone, and metal beads/ornaments by craftspeople (Dubin 2009, Liu 1995a) all lead to increased attention in clasps. Good commercial clasps became available, from artisanal production in developing countries and through domestic craftspeople, mostly fabricated for their own use when offering work in upscale craft shows or galleries. Even rapid prototyping and CNC machining are now used for clasp production, sometimes coupled with very high strength rareearth magnets. Jewelry worn around the neck ranges from simplicity to complexity: cord, including rubber cord; chain, cables, neckwires, tubing, and torques, whether metal or organic, mark the simpler end of the spectrum and make ideal carriers for a single pendant or a few objects. Casual and light weight, except for heavy ethnographic torques, this style of neck jewelry offers strength, comfort and practicality. As a man, I prefer cord/ pendant combinations; easy to put on and comfortable to wear, although even the most innocuous jewelry can be problematic, like when my jade pendant rubbed against a sensitive neck microphone while we were filming a Korean documentary, to the annoyance of the soundperson. A number of neckware function like torques, such as those that can be slipped over the head or are pliable enough to open for fitting around the neck, then spring back so as not to fall off. My heatbent bamboo torques (this and my other jewelry are VALERIE AND BENNY ALDRICH: Multistrand asymmetrical necklace, with fabricated, stamped and inlaid silver clasp worn vertically; 7.5 centimeters long, it is inlaid with turquoise, coral, spondylus, lapis, mother-of-pearl and jet. Besides functioning as a clasp, it also serves as a spacer for the three strands and a focal point of the necklace. Modeled by Jitka Kotelenska, a former Ornament staff member. Photographs: Robert K. Liu/Ornament.