In Volendam’s traditional costume, wealth was demonstrated through different details on the constume as well as the materials and quality of the decorations. Wealthier families adorn their costumes with the best fabrics, the most beautiful lace and well manifactured embroidery. One of the ways to demonstrate wealth was by having a ‘kraplap’ that was lavishly decorated (Brinkkemper, 2024). The use of expensive dyes and imported fabrics could demonstrate the elevated status of the person who wore them.
One of the most important aspects of porttaying wealth can be found within the blood coral necklace. The necklace consists of multiple rows of blood coral beads with a golden clasp on both sides to which a rectangular lock is attached This lock was covered with a glass with an image in it.This image could be a ship, the ‘All-Seeing Eye’, figures of hairwork or a small photograph. The blood coral is an orange or red skeleton that is retrieved from the Mediterranean Sea and the coasts of Japan. The size of the coral beads also demonstrated the wealth; the larger, the more expensive and thus perceived as more beautiful by the women of Volendam (Brinkkemper, 2024)
Below you find a picture of a necklace with an image of the ‘All-Seeing-Eye’. When women were in mourning, they would change their necklace for another one which was made of black glass, jet or garnet (Brinkkemper, 2024). In the second image below, you will find an image which would be worn in a mourning period.
The all-seeing-eye is an symbol of religion as it was believed to be connected to God. The all-seeing eye is the eye of God that guards over the community and could keep women to behave decently in the eyes of the men. Modesty plays a big role in the traditional attire. The next step of the tour will teach you more on how women expressed their modesty.