CNJ+ June 2023

THE HISTORY OF SCISSORS By, Pam Teel

Despite what some historians say, scissors were not invented by Leonardo Da Vinci, but he did use a shear like scissor, already invented, to cut through his canvases. The earliest known scissors appeared about 3,000 to 4,000 years ago in Mesopotamia. (Which now refers to modern-day Iraq, Kuwait, Turkey, and Syria, as well as parts of Iran.) These were called spring scissors, comprised of two bronze blades connected at the handles by a thin- flexible strip of curved bronze, which served to hold the blades in alignment, to allow them to be squeezed together, and to pull them apart when released. Spring scissors could possibly be the earliest known pair of scissors.

only ancient Rome, but also China, Japan, and Korea, and the pivot scissor idea is still used in almost all modern scissors. Pivoted scissors were not manufactured in large numbers until 1761, when Robert Hinchliffe, of Sheffield, produced the first pair of modern-day scissors which were made of hardened and polished cast steel. His major challenge was to form the bows; first, he made them solid, then drilled a hole, and then filed away metal to make this large enough to admit the user's fingers. This process was laborious and couldn’t keep up with the demand for them. Hinchliffe improved his method of making scissors in order to

Unlike today’s scissors, these ancient cut ting tools worked where two blades were connected at the end, but apart on the cut ting edge. The scissors cut material only when the fingers pull inwards to squeeze the tool together. They are similar to the con cept of tweezers or pliers. They were craft ed by the most skilled individuals during their time in order to create a tool with two blades that could make clean, neat cuts. These types of scissors have been modified through time and are still being used. Some sewing scissors and embroidery scissors still use the design for seamless and light weight cutting. Around the year 1500, BC, Ancient Egyp tian scissors, very similar to older Mesopo tamian versions, were also discovered. The Egyptian scissors were almost identical to modern shears — in that they were large and heavy duty, clearly for outdoor use and not cutting hair. It’s believed that if Ancient Egyptians did cut their hair, they would have used a single blade or knife. Spring scissors continued to be used in Europe until the 16th century. However, pivoted scissors of bronze or iron, in which

increase production. He set up a sign iden tifying himself as a "fine scissor manufactur er and achieved strong sales in London and elsewhere. Sheffield was actually home to the first mass production of scissors. By the 19th century, there were an esti mated 60 steel scissor companies in Shef field. However, since the 1980s, industry globalization and a shift towards cheaper, mass-produced scissors created price de flation that many artisanal manufacturers could not compete with. The Sheffield scis sor industry consisted of just two local com panies in 2021. The two remaining Sheffield scissor man ufacturers are William Whiteley, founded in 1760, and Ernest Wright, which was es tablished in 1902. Both now focus on high end/niche crafting of “products for life” rather than mass production. Between these two firms, it is estimated that there are no more than ten “Putters” who are the mas ter-trained craftspeople responsible for high quality Sheffield scissor assembly. Today China is the leading manufacturer of scis sors. The word, scissor, came about in the late

the blades were pivoted at a point between the tips and the handles, the direct ancestor of modern scissors, were invented by the Romans. Ancient Romans are believed to be among the first civilizations to enhance the bar baric form of scissors from Mesopotamia to the pivoted scissors we use today. Scissors have been found from the Roman period around the year AD100 with a pivot. The Romans adapted the Egyptians' design and made them better creating pivoted or cross-blade scissors that were more in line with what we have today. The Romans also used bronze, but they sometimes made their scissors from iron as well. Roman scissors had two blades that slid past each other. The pivot was situated between the tip and the handles to create a cutting effect between the two blades when they were applied to various properties. Both Egyptian and Roman versions of scissors had to be sharpened regularly. Unlike many other ancient civilizations, the Romans, with their updated scissors, were the first to use them for hairstyling, rather than for everyday jobs such as cutting rope and farming. They entered common use in not

14th century. It was derived from the old French word “Cisoires” which de scribe hand operated shearing tools. Scissors have advanced greatly in terms of design and functionality since they were first invented. Move over Ed ward Scissorhands, most every family, all over the world, has at least one or more scissors in their household. There is even some superstition attached to the scissors. More than one expectant mother has placed a pair of scissors beneath her pillow at night somewhere toward the end of her ninth month of pregnancy. Superstition says that this will “cut the cord” with her baby and prompt labor. And here's another folklore tale: Don’t hand those scissors to your best friend. Place them on any available surface and let your friend pick them up. Otherwise, you risk severing your relationship. Some say that those scissors languishing in your catch-it-all drawer can help keep evil spirits out of your home, especially if you hang them by one handle near your door so they form a version of a cross.

6

CNJ+ | FORMERLY THE MILLSTONE TIMES

JUNE 2023