The heart symbol
The earliest known possible visual depiction of a heart symbol, as a lover hands his heart to the beloved lady, in a manuscript of the Roman de la poire, mid-13th century.
The combination of the heart shape and its use within the heart metaphor developed by the end of the Middle Ages, although the shape has been used in many ancient epigraphy monuments and texts. With possible early examples or direct predecessors in the 13th to 14th century, the familiar symbol of the heart representing love developed in the 15th century and became popular in Europe during the 16th. Before the 14th century, the heart shape was not associated with the meaning of the heart metaphor. The geometric shape itself is found in much earlier sources, but in such instances does not depict a heart, but typically foliage: in examples from antiquity fig leaves, and in medieval iconography and heraldry typically the leaves of ivy and of the water-lily.
Since the 19th century, the symbol has often been used on Valentine's Day cards, chocolate boxes, and similar popular culture artifacts as a symbol of romantic love.
The use of the heart symbol as a logograph for the English verb "to love" derives from the use in "I ♥ NY," introduced in 1977.
Since the 1990s, the heart symbol has also been used as an ideogram indicating e.g. its use by restaurants to indicate heart-healthy nutrient content claim (e.g. "low in cholesterol"). (adapted from Wikipedia)
The glass hearts in my collection are made in a variety of colours and sizes with nearly all of them incorporating dichroic glass in their manufacture. Those made especially with Valentines Day in mind are predominantly pink and red in colour. They can remain as pendants or be converted into key fobs at no extra charge.
Fused glass jewellery makes a beautiful gift for someone you love and at a reasonable price. The larger hearts are £15 and the smaller ones are £10.
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