Ferroniere - a heart-cut ametrine khazurka on an etched mithril chain
Recently found an interesting dwarven item with my dwarf, appropriately enough. Functionally, it's head-worn and contains MR tremors for 40 charges. It has no fancy loresong. Here's some official info:
Ferroniere
A History of the Ferroniere is an Official GemStone IV Document, and it is protected from editing.
A History of the Ferroniere
Excerpt from the dissertation "A Detailed History of Jewelry and Lapidary: How Cultural and Philosophical Mores Influenced Our Adornments" by the High Lady Auvyra Vonnalaiel, Second Daughter of House Vonnalaiel of Illistim, Master Jeweler.
Chapter 10: Ferronieres
Contents
1 Origins
2 Racial and Cultural Variations3
2.1 Seer-Stone
2.2 Geldaralad
2.3 Ferrigem
2.4 Aemikvai
2.5 Khazurka
2.6 Basrenne
2.7 Trinette
2.8 Elothrai
3 Footnotes
Origins
With the exception of the Aelotoi and the Half-Krolvin, all Elanith's races have developed, at times independently, a version of a forehead-centered gem suspended from a chain, generically termed a ferroniere. Due to their other-planar enslavement, it is obvious why the aelotoi did not develop this jewelry. Half-Krolvin present a trickier situation, but one theory is that enslavement and isolation kept them from being exposed to what some believe to be the root cause for this jewelry style: the forehead gem.
Rare and elusive, forehead gems possess unusual properties that allow them to adhere without benefit of chains to the wearer's forehead. True forehead gems number in the scant hundreds and surface only rarely in society. There are documented sightings of forehead gems1 thousands of years back, and some cultures attribute them supernatural powers and qualities. The mystique, therefore, yielded a desire. The desire yielded a product: ferronieres.
Generally speaking, any gem on a chain2 designed to be held at the center forehead is a ferroniere, and the term's origins are lost to antiquity. Despite onerous research, no one has ever discovered exactly when the word "ferroniere" appeared, nor where the term itself originated. From the forehead gem-inspired ferroniere, however, we have some racially and culturally specific versions which we can delineate.
Whether inspired by the mystical forehead gems or by fashion, the myriad examples of chained forehead jewelry are fascinating. Many people, regardless of culture or race, will choose a ferroniere fashioned to their own choosing rather than be limited to the specific variations described below. Thus, a human is equally, if not more likely, to wear a ferroniere rather than a seer-stone, for example.
Khazurka
While dwarves do have a ferroniere they term a khazurka, it never became widely accepted or even acknowledged. Developed by a craftsman in the city of Mithrenek, where they are known for their abilities to work mithril, the khazurka always has a mithril chain and a carved gem. Since its invention, small groups of dwarven women have worn khazurka, but it has never been widespread. Still, it is distinctive from generic ferronieres in that it must be dwarven-crafted mithril chain and the gem must be cut in some way, often with great detail. One such example was found6 wherein the large, round-cut gem was also incised with precise detail, showing a mithril hammer crushing a banshee's head, a simplified homage to the statue at the gates of Mithrenek.
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