Sequin

Sequins are disk-shaped beads used for decorative purposes. In earlier centuries, they were made from shiny metals. Today, sequins are most often made from plastic. They are available in a wide variety of colors and geometrical shapes. Sequins are commonly used on clothing, jewelry, bags, shoes and many other accessories.

Sequins are sometimes also referred to as spangles, paillettes, or diamantes. Paillettes themselves are commonly very large and flat. Sequins may be stitched flat to the fabric, so that they do not move, and are less likely to fall off; or they may be stitched at only one point, so that they dangle and move easily, to catch more light. Some sequins are made with multiple facets, to increase their reflective ability.

History

Evidence exists that gold sequins were being used as decoration on clothing or paraphernalia in the Indus Valley as early as 2500BC, during the Kot Diji phase.

The word "sequin" is from a rendition into French of the Italian word zecchino, which was a gold coin that was issued in the late medieval and early post-medieval centuries in Republic of Venice and also issued in Ottoman Turkey; see Sequin (coin). By the early 19th century the sequin coins were no longer being issued, and the name sequin was falling out of use in its original sense. It was then that the name was taken up in France to designate what it means today. The 19th century sequins were made of shiny metal.

Sequin (disambiguation)

Sequin may refer to:

Sequin (coin)

The sequin (/ˈsiːkwɪn/; Venetian and Italian: zecchino [dzekˈkiːno; tsek-]) is a gold coin weighing 3.5 grams (0.12 oz) of .986 gold, minted by the Republic of Venice from the 13th century onwards.

The design of the Venetian gold ducat, or zecchino, remained unchanged for over 500 years, from its introduction in 1284 to the takeover of Venice by Napoleon in 1797. No other coin design has ever been produced over such a long historical period. The 500-year run of the zecchino is unique in history.

The reverse bears a motto in Latin hexameter: Sit tibi, Christe, datus ("Christ, let this duchy that you rule be given to you").

Initially called "ducat" (ducato), for the ruling Doge of Venice who was prominently depicted on it, it was called the zecchino, after the Zecca (mint) of Venice, since 1543 when Venice began minting a silver coin also called a ducat. The name of the mint ultimately derives from Arabic: سكّة‎ (sikka), meaning a coin mould or die.

In some regions, in later centuries, these type of coins were stitched to women's clothing such as headdresses - this eventually led to the origin of the more modern word "sequins" to denote small shiny, circular decorations. Following the Venetian model, similar coins were used for centuries throughout the Mediterranean. After two hundred years of continuous zecchino production, the Byzantine Empire imitated with the basilikon. In 1478, the Ottoman Empire introduced a similar unit. In 1535, the Knights Hospitaller of Malta did so. The Ottoman and the Maltese coins were also gold.