| Scissors are one of the more fascinating hand tools. | | | | from a potential suitor. |
| Throughout history they have been used as a tool, a | | | | Hand tools are usually a part of everyday work for |
| traditional gift, an art object, and after the industrial | | | | those who deal with the daily routines of life, but |
| revolution, a specialized utensil for advanced and | | | | they’re not always highly decorated. After |
| delicate work. A brief look at scissors shows a wide | | | | scissor designs became more ornate due to the |
| range of uses for such a simple tool. | | | | demands of the upper classes, the more intricate |
| Back in the eleventh century, simple scissors were | | | | designs trickled down to everyday use. Curled |
| made by the craft guild for scissor-makers. Designs | | | | handles, etched images and intricate fretwork was |
| were simple and elegant with the focus on function | | | | added to the scissors, making them works of art to |
| rather than form. Further back in history, ornate | | | | rival their historical counterparts in the Far East. For a |
| scissors have been found in Turkey from the second | | | | few centuries, scissors were made with decorations |
| century and there are beautiful examples in several | | | | and added embellishments, bringing a taste for |
| museums of Chinese scissors from the Tang | | | | decoration into everyday life and adding a bit of |
| Dynasty (7th to 9th century). | | | | beauty to daily routines. |
| But in Europe, scissors were used mostly by the | | | | The industrial revolution brought scissors back to a |
| lower classes until the development of communication | | | | cleaner, more functional design. Today’s scissors |
| with Eastern countries. Calligraphy came into style | | | | are made from a wide range of materials, including |
| among the upper classes and more delicate, flexible | | | | stainless steel, and have an enormous range of uses. |
| scissors were developed that could work with paper. | | | | From angled micro scissors used in medicine and |
| Decorations were added and designs began to include | | | | electronics to long blade scissors that make crafts |
| more ornate styles. Around the fourteenth century, | | | | easier, there are beautifully designed scissors to meet |
| scissors in an elegantly decorated leather sheath | | | | any need in any field. Scissors are hand tools that |
| were a mandatory part of an admirer’s | | | | have a long history of making life easier, and |
| “love box”, a present sent to a lady of rank | | | | today’s versions are more diverse than ever. |