Curios, or small objects of rarity and particularity, have been collected for thousands of years. They often hold sentimental or historical value and can be obtained through travel or specialty shops. Curio cabinets are used to display and protect these items, some of which are considered works of art themselves.
Curios are small objects prized for their rarity or particularity. The term is short for “curiosity”. Many people keep a few trivia around their homes and they’re often topics of interest and discussion at parties. Sometimes a trivia comes with an interesting story, or sparks conversation simply because it’s so distinctive. In some cases, such items are displayed in a cabinet of curios, which highlights them while protecting them. Some curio cabinets are works of art or curios in and of themselves.
People have been collecting objects that make them curious for thousands of years. Early explorers always brought back unusual artifacts from the regions they visited, to try to convey at least a small aspect of the cultures they interacted with. Some of these curiosities were also very valuable, both because they contained valuable components such as silver and gold, and because they were very unusual. Many people in medieval society created “cabinets of curiosities” which they displayed to interested guests; these collections often included scientific specimens.
While curiosities are easier to obtain than they once were, thanks to an interconnected globe, some are still quite unusual. Handmade curiosities from remote civilizations, for example, are often highly prized, because they are considered one-of-a-kind. In other cases, the curiosities are distinctive because they come from civilizations and cultures that have collapsed, so they have historical interest. The tradition of bringing back small objects from trips abroad is also preserved; most people, for example, expect gifts from close friends after venturing to remote or interesting places.
These decorative items tend to be small, distinguishing them from larger works of art, and their value varies widely. In some cases, a curiosity has more sentimental value than actual value, because the owner associates it with an interesting trip or with the person who gave the curiosity as a gift. In other cases, the curiosities are extremely valuable, as is the case with artifacts from lost civilizations held in museum collections.
In addition to buying curios while traveling, you can also often buy curios from shops that specialize in importing and selling unusual items. In some cases, these shops may focus on curios from a particular place, as might be the case with a shop specializing in African crafts, or a curio shop might be more generic, enticing customers with a wide variety of unusual items.
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