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The Origins Of Jewelry

The origin of wearing jewelry started when the Neanderthal cavemen displayed the teeth and claws of the beasts they caught and killed. Cavemen also would add seeds and pieces of wood to their necklaces to make them more ornate. Thus starting a tradition that has lasted up until present day.

The ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks began wearing colored stones to adorn themselves. The Egyptians believed that the many different stones they used in their jewelry had some type of healing power. They also believed that certain stones would bring the wearer good fortune.

Gold was the most commonly used stone. Because of its elegance and malleable properties, it was popular in many jewelry pieces. The history of gold is found all the way back in the book of Genesis in the Bible. The Bible mentions a land called Havilah where gold can be found in abundance.

In 3100 BC, there has been found proof about Menes, the ruler of the first Egyptian dynasty. He created a code dealing with gold. He said it should be one part gold and two and a half parts silver.

Gold was discovered because of its yellow shining outside. It is malleable and easy to form, resistant to tarnish, and can be found in many different locals. It was first used as money around 700BC. It could be easily melted and formed into shapes of coins.

More of the exquisite jewelry was left to the rulers and pharaohs of the time. Many equated the jewelry worn by a person as their status in life. Soon anybody that was not of noble blood wasn't allowed to wear jewelry at all. Glass imitations were made and soon the fake jewelry took off for those people who wanted to wear the pieces but couldn't afford to buy them.

In the 1600's, you rarely saw women without at least earrings at all times. During the daylight hours, they would wear fake paste and pearl. At night, fine diamonds were saved for going out to a party or the theater.

A secret of jewel history comes from a man named Jaquin of Paris. This gentleman took small glass balls and coated them with iridescent fish scales. They were treated with wax and a fashionable set of pearls was yours for a cheaper price. This method was used for over 200 years.

In the late 1700's, producing these fake pieces spread to London. They also incorporated marcasite, jasper, and cameos into each piece. Shoe buckles became popular and semiprecious stones were used more and more for less formal occasions.

In 1837, Queen Victoria brought European folk art to the forefront which led to a great arts and crafts movement. But the people were unhappy with the machine made jewelry pieces. Some even stopped wearing any because of how bad the pieces were.

In 1870, there came a new design in jewelry production. William Morris and John Ruskin created new designs with floral, Celtic, and colorful forms. The stones they used gave a softer appearance to many of the pieces now made for the public.

The 1900's led to an Art Noveau design. These were curvy lines, long limbed, turned into flowers and birds, and anything else you could imagine was used. The style was popular for a time, but it was so mass produced that people grew tired of it and i started to decline.

The 1940's and 1950's brought the Hollywood era forth. People could attain the look of a Hollywood starlet if they had the money and time to do it. Makeup, jewelry and clothes were a big thing after the movie stars were seen wearing them. Others wanted to emulate this new style. However, with World War II looming in the 40's, production of fine jewelry was stopped. Costume jewelry became more accepted.

The 1980's brought us Dallas, Dynasty, and many soap operas that used jewelry to show the wealth of the characters on the show. Many of the actresses were lavishly dressed and diamonds were always a necessary accoutrement. This led to more costume pieces being mass produced by different mints so everyone could own their own Sue Ellen engagement ring or Alexis' diamond necklace.

And so, in the 2000's, it seems that costume jewelry is still widely popular for the masses. We want to look like the modern day queen, but we don't want to have to spend a lot of money for it. We have the QVC channel in which different stars, like Joan Rivers, come and sell their pieces to a hungry audience looking for something spectacular that can be bought at a bare bones price.