Discover the secrets of the Celts


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The Evolving World of Jewelry

Since man (and woman) first walked the Earth,In ancient Mesopotamia (approximately 4,000
humankind has been fascinated by the shinyyears ago) jewelry making had taken over as a
gems, rocks, and precious metals that make uppredominant role in the cities of Sumer and
the jewelry we all know of today. In manyAkkad. The Royal Cemetery of Ur serves as the
ancient cultures, wearing jewelry largelymost significant archaeological evidence to
correlated with religious and spiritualdate. Home to hundreds of burials dating
symbolism; whereas today jewelry wearing is2900-2300 BC, the cemetery contained a
more tied with self-expression, fashion, andmassive amount of artifacts in gold, silver,
self-decoration. However, the desire to adornand  semi-precious  stones.
oneself and express status through jewelry is
one trend that has continued throughout theGreek and Roman jewelry dates back to beads
ages,  transcending  both  time and cultures.that were shaped into shells and animals. In
later years, around 1400 BC, both
Body adornment with jewelry dates backcivilizations started using gold and gems in
100,000 years to the old Nassarius shellstheir jewelry. The main purpose of jewelry to
that were made into beads. These shells arethe Greeks and Romans was to ward off evil
thought to be the oldest known jewelry inspirits and the ?evil eye,? given by other
existence. In addition to shells, the firstpeople. While Greek men and women rarely wore
pieces of jewelry were made from naturaljewelry (it was mostly worn for public
materials, such as bones, animal teeth, wood,appearances or on special occasions), Roman
and  carved  stone.men and women dressed themselves in a
considerable amount of jewelry. Both Roman
In addition to satisfying the human need formen and women wore rings with a carved stone
body ornamentation, throughout historyon it, used with wax to seal documents. This
jewelry has also been used for a variety ofact would carry well into medieval times when
other reasons including currency, symbolism,kings  and  noblemen used the same technique.
protection, artistic displays, displays of
romantic affection, and simple functionalThe history of jewelry carries on throughout
uses (think pins, clasps, buckles). Made outseveral civilizations post the fall of the
of nearly every material known on the planet,Roman Empire. Unique jewelry designs and uses
the varieties of jewelry around the world arepaved its way throughout the Middle Ages, and
virtually  endless.the eras of the Renaissance, Romanticism, Art
Nouveau, and Art Deco. Jewelry also played a
Early  History  of  Jewelrymajor role in American history, with the
Native Americans, the Spanish discovery of
Over 40,000 years ago, the Cro-Magnonsgold,  the modern jewelry movement, and more.
(ancestors of Homo sapiens) showed the first
signs of jewelry with pieces such as crudeJewelry  Today
necklaces and bracelets made of bone, teeth,
and stone hung on pieces of string or bone.Within the past thirty years, Western
Jewelry from this time period was also foundcivilization has experienced major
to have been crafted using shell ortechnological advances and social changes.
mother-of-pearl  pieces.Jewelers of today have reflected these
changes by using their originality and
In Southern Russia, bracelets that wereexpertise within their designs for modern day
carved using mammoth tusks have been found.wearers and collectors. Today?s jewelry
Many pieces of ancient jewelry were commonlydesigns embody both past and present
found as grave-goods, which are items thatcultures, with famous jewelers such as
were buried or preserved along with theCartier, Asprey, and Tiffany continuing to
deceased, often serving as offerings to theproduce time-honored designs using precious
gods.metals and gemstones. In addition, new ideas
and designs are surfacing among the less
Around 3,000 to 5,000 years ago, the firstpronounced but equally talented
signs of jewelry making were prevalent inartist-jewelers  throughout  the  world.
Ancient Egypt. The Egyptians most commonly
worked with gold, for its luxury, rarity andWhile the jewelry of today serves mostly
workability. Wealthy Egyptians adorned goldaesthetic purposes, it continues to serve
jewelry in their life and death, as jewelryother purposes as well. Like so many past
was  often  placed  among  grave  goods.cultures, jewelry is still representative of
one?s social status or official ranking. It
In addition to gold and silver, and in placecontinues to serve as an emblem of religious,
of precious gems, the Egyptians also usedsocial, and political affiliation, as well as
colored  glass  to  design  jewelry.a symbol of love and commitment in several
cultures.
Jewelry making was also prevalent through
Asia, starting in China over 5,000 years ago.The history of jewelry is quite extensive,
Asian jewelry was decorative,with several different uses among an array of
religion-oriented, and used mainly incultures. Jewelry has endured for thousands
ceremonies. Also in Asia, India has theand thousands of years, providing unique
longest continuous heritage of jewelry makinginsights into all sorts of cultures. It will
in  the  entire  world.continue to remain an important part of
society and culture as the years go on.



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