We are open on Mondays throughout December!
Based on 19th Century toys called thaumatropes, the Spinning I Love You pendants became immensely popular in the sixties, with the dawn of hippie culture, and are now experiencing a renaissance. Made in silver and 9 carat gold, the pendants appeared at same time as, and are a based on, the mechanism used for children’s, as well as adult’s, toys that encompassed: ‘aspects of juvenile education, classical allusion, punning and social satire as well as visual perception’(1).
The thaumatrope, along with other inventions of the time, are precursors to cinematography and in particular animation. The toy was made of a rigid paper disc with a picture on both faces and two pieces of string attached to its sides; when the strings are twirled between the fingers the pictures blend into one. One of the more popular images was the bird in a cage, or leafless tree which when turned would magically turn green.
The spinners can include other messages like good luck, happy birthday or other short messages. All our spinners sold online have been hand-picked to match the photos but they will still vary slightly. For larger and fancier versions of the spinner, please visit our shop!
Image belongs to and is provided by London based designer duo Chutney Chorus, http://chutneychorus.com/
(1)http://www.stephenherbert.co.uk/thaumatropeTEXT1.htm#fn2