Bookbinder An occupation that was extremely important but receives very little credit is the position of the Renaissance Bookbinder. This skill was very important as journals, diaries, and manifests were being written during the time period. News of discoveries, law, science, medicine, technology and industry were recorded on paper and were then bound together in the format of a book by professional binders. As there were no machines for printing, each journal and book was meticulously and painstakingly handwritten. The Bookbinder had to be careful when setting the pages together to not tear, damage or destroy any portion of the manuscript. Many of these books still survive today in Churches and museums and serve as a testament to the excellent work performed. Bookbinders usually joined a guild where they learned the trade as an apprentice.
Engraver An Engraver was a specialist who was often called upon to etch messages and designs into swords, shields, armor and metal plaques. An artist in his own right, he worked with a variety of custom tools to produce his trade. Though the art form has been modified by the advances in technology of today, the Renaissance Engraver practiced his craft in a most time consuming and painstaking way. If the results of his work were unattractive or undesirable, the customer would often not pay or even had legal grounds to sue the Engraver for ruining a piece of private property. As such the Engraver had to produce quality work. Despite being a specialty, Engravers were quite common throughout the Renaissance. The wages earned were generally modest but being conscripted or hired by a noble or monarch for a custom project could find him the recipient of high pay.
Jeweler Jewelers held great positions of status within Renaissance communities and towns. As foreign wars took troops into exotic lands they often returned with precious stones and minerals. Not knowing the value of them, it was up to the Jeweler to determine their worth. Diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires were the most common stones found during the Renaissance. Gold, silver and bronze were also held in high regard. The Jeweler not only held the knowledge of assessing values on these items but he was also skilled in setting the stones into rings, pendants, medallions, bracelets and amulets. The Jeweler also knew how to set the items into sword hilts and other placements that exhibited the status and wealth of their holders. Jewelers were respected but there were many who knew the advantages of being less than honest. The untrained eye of the public did not easily distinguish stones with minimum value such as quartz, zirconia, and even fool s gold. Therefore it was common for a Jeweler to accept a valuable diamond with the promise of setting it into a ring or pendant for its owner. Simply, he would polish a quartz or zirconias of similar size and dupe the owner by giving him the worthless item. The Jeweler could then sell the original and more valuable stone and reap a quick and high profit.
Locksmith Locksmiths were integral parts of Renaissance society. Though most homes held little more than an internal wooden slide lock on the insides, Locksmiths became important with the developments and security of castles. Their talents were in the beginning stages but an intricate lock that resisted the efforts of picking or tampering was soon highly valued. Criminals and the residents of dungeons often escaped rather easily when not secured with locks or shackles. To maintain security Locksmiths were trained in guilds and the secrets of their craft were kept highly guarded. As such, Locksmiths were considered to possess the knowledge and skills of a specialty organization and as a result earned high wages.
Minstrel Minstrels were musicians. Various instruments included the mandolin, fife, flute, dulcimer, drums, violin and harpsichord. A great deal of skill and training was required to become a professional musician and those lucky enough to have proficiency on an instrument often found themselves entertaining kings and nobles for high wages. Minstrels often would record the deeds of heroic knights and go from tavern to tavern playing these odes of homage. Not only did it make for an interesting song, but it gave the knight publicity and established a degree of respect and status for him. Throughout the Renaissance, Bards became the popular employees of any knight or common man who wanted their deeds enshrined in a public song. The deeds were embellished of course but it was a wonderful way to spread the fame of a knight from kingdom to kingdom. The talented Minstrels and Bards frequently charged high prices for these services.
Spy It was a wise king or monarch that kept informed of what was going on in rival and neighboring communities and towns. Therefore it became necessary to hire Spies to secretly find out what was afoot. Contrary to popular belief, most Spies were women. It was generally accepted that women could move in certain social circles more easily than men and using their inherent charm, could naturally coax more information out of trusted employees of rival houses. These Spies were often trained with the uses of various skills such as reading, writing and often speaking more than one language. They were also trained assassins and took oaths that obligated them to take their own lives rather than risk being caught by an enemy. Spies were usually paid high wages and were given the luxuries of castle life.