The word jewelry refers to the various items of ornamentation. Its origin can be traced to the old French term joule which referred to several items like rings, bracelets and necklaces, in the 13th century. Jewelry has performed several functions other than adornment. It has often been the symbol of status.
The more jewelry one possessed, it indicated a better social standing. Jewelry was another form of wealth. Its value was equal to that of currency. In fact, in earlier days jewelry was used in exchange of other things, when the barter system was prevalent.
In the days gone by, when people were superstitious, certain pieces of jewelry were used as a treatment for the evil influences. To ward off the negative forces, armlets, bracelets and rings were worn. Fastening or clasping purposes were also served by jewelry.
The historical background of these decorative items is varied and rather interesting. The characteristic feature of the jewelry of different ages and countries has been formed by the availability of materials and the usage.
Nearly 40,000 years back the first attempt at making jewelry was made by the fore fathers of the Homo sapiens, called Cro magnon. In the uncivilized world then, devoid of any scientific discoveries or inventions, the decorative items were made from the bones, stones, wood.
They were not crafted by master craftsmen but were well strung by the sinews of animals. Pieces of cloth were kept secured by clasps made of bone pieces. The existence of the mammoth then provided a good source of raw material. The tusk was used and the tradition is still carried on even today.
Some 3000 to 5000 years ago specific forms and materials began to be made and the pioneers were the ancient Egyptians. They preferred gold to other metals. The malleable and lustrous quality of the metal attracted them. The availability of gold made it their item of luxury.
It was soon the right of the royalty to wear gold upon their body to indicate power. Not only while they were alive, but even after death they were given all the items of ornamentation to be worn by them.
A unique combination with the yellow metal was seen in the ancient Egyptian jewelry. The use of colored glass was to replace the gems that formed a part of the jewelry. They preferred copying the real colors of the stones to using them. Most of the gems were collected from the Red Sea and long necklaces, bangles and head gear were worn by both men and women.
A similar fascination for stones is noticed among the ancient Mesopotamians. Their designs were usually leaves, spirals, grapes within vines and other nature oriented patterns. They decorated even statues with fine filigree work done on metals. By the time it was 2300 years BC, the largest manufacturer of ornaments was Macedon, a Grecian province.
The Romans were fond of jewelry too. They mostly used brooches to keep their long flowing garments secured. Though they used gold often, bronze, beads and glass were also preferred. Procuring the materials was not difficult since their sprawling kingdom spread across man countries.
Treated wood was seldom used because of its ephemeral quality. Italians worked with gold in its crude form and carved exquisite pieces of jewelry. The unique item was the large pendant that contained fragrant solutions in them to act as deodorant.
In the Mohen-jo-daro and Harappan civilization, women wore jewelry mainly to adorn their necks and hands. Treated clay and beads were the frequently used material as they were cheap and easy to work with.
With time art progressed and jewelry took on new forms. The artistic designs, whether inspired by nature or not, still enthralls everyone.
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