Jewellery

Jewellery (or jewelry in American English) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. These items are worn on the body or clothes. From a Western view, jewellery is for lasting ornaments, not things like flowers.

For many years, metals like gold and silver, often with gemstones, have been common materials for jewellery. Other materials like glass, shells, or wood can also be used.

Jewellery is one of the oldest types of archaeological artefact. For example, beads from Nassarius shells that are about 100,000 years old are thought to be the oldest known jewellery. The main shapes of jewellery change between cultures, but many have stayed the same for a very long time. In European cultures, the most common types of jewellery have been worn since ancient times.

Etymology

The word jewellery comes from the word jewel. This word came from an old French word "jouel", which itself came from a Latin word "jocale" meaning "plaything". In British English, Indian English, New Zealand English, Hiberno-English, Australian English, and South African English, we spell it jewellery. In American English, it is spelled jewelry. Both spellings are used in Canadian English, but jewellery is used more often. In French and some other European languages, a similar word, joaillerie, can also refer to decorative metalwork made from precious metals.

Form and function

People wear jewellery for many reasons. It can hold clothes or hair in place, show special things like being married, or tell us about a group someone belongs to. Jewellery can also be worn to feel safe, as a beautiful art piece, or to remember important moments.

Many cultures have kept their wealth as jewellery, and some used jewellery for trading. Some jewellery started as useful things but became decorative over time. Wearing certain pieces can show which group someone belongs to or their special role.

Materials and methods

When making jewellery, people use beautiful stones like gemstones, coins, or other special items. These are placed in precious metals such as platinum, silver, or gold. Platinum is mixed with other metals to make it stronger, and silver is often made into sterling silver. For less expensive jewellery called costume jewellery, stainless steel is sometimes used.

Other materials for jewellery include glass, wood, shells, and natural things like bone and ivory. Beads are also popular. They can be made from glass, metal, wood, shells, or clay. Beads are used to make necklaces, bracelets, earrings, belts, and rings.

People who make jewellery use many different skills. They might shape the metal by forging, casting, or soldering. They can also cut or carve the materials.

Diamonds

Main article: Diamond

Diamonds were first found in India. Today, places like Australia, Botswana, Russia, and Canada are big sources of diamonds. Diamonds are very popular in jewellery, especially in engagement rings. One famous style is the diamond solitaire, which has one large diamond shown clearly.

The British crown jewels include the Cullinan Diamond, which is one of the largest diamonds ever found.

Other gemstones

Main article: Gemstone

[Jade](/wiki/Jade)

[Jasper](/wiki/Jasper)

[Ruby](/wiki/Ruby)

[Sapphire](/wiki/Sapphire)

[Turquoise](/wiki/Turquoise)

Many beautiful stones are used in jewellery. Besides their colour, these stones are chosen for how rare they are, how hard they are, and how they look when light shines on them. Some well-known stones include Amber, which is made from old tree resin, and Emerald, known for its green colour.

Turquoise is special because it comes from only a few places in the world, mostly in the southwest United States. It is loved for its bright blue colour and is used in many different jewellery styles.

Gold and other precious metals

Gold and other precious metals are often used to make jewellery. These metals do not easily change or get damaged. Gold is made stronger by mixing it with other metals, and this mix is measured in carats. Gold is special because it is the only coloured noble metal — others look silvery.

For platinum, gold, and silver jewellery, there are many ways to finish the metal. The most common way is to make it very shiny, called high-polish. Another way is to make it less shiny, called satin or matte finish, which helps show off the stones better. Brushed finishes give the jewellery a textured look, and hammered finishes create a wavy pattern.

Impact on society

Jewellery has often been used to show a person's importance or status. In ancient Rome, only certain people were allowed to wear rings. Rules decided what kind of jewellery someone could wear based on their rank.

Different cultures have had different ideas about jewellery over time. For example, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, it was thought that men in Western countries shouldn't wear earrings. Today, some people wear body jewellery, like piercings, as a way to express themselves. Also, hip hop culture made popular the term bling-bling to describe showing off jewellery.

The jewellery industry tried to make wedding rings for men popular in the early 20th century, and this caught on. However, their attempt to make engagement rings for men was not as successful.

Some religions have special rules about jewellery. For example, in Islam, men are not allowed to wear gold. Most Islamic jewellery was part of a bride's dowries.

History

The history of jewellery is long and goes back many years, with many different uses among different cultures. It has endured for thousands of years and has provided various insights into how ancient cultures worked.

Prehistory

The earliest known jewellery was created not by modern humans but by precursors of modern humans living in Europe and North Africa. The National Jewellery Museum of Morocco in Rabat displays a reproduction of perforated shell beads. The original beads are the oldest known pieces of such artefacts dated to about 142,000 years. They were found in 2019 by archaeologists in the Bizmoune cave near Essaouira, Morocco. Other perforated beads made from small seashells by Neanderthals have been found dating to 115,000 years ago in the Cueva de los Aviones, a cave along the southeast coast of Spain. Later in Kenya, at Enkapune Ya Muto, beads made from perforated ostrich eggshells have been dated to more than 40,000 years ago. In Russia, a stone bracelet and marble ring are attributed to a similar age.

Later, the European early modern humans had crude necklaces and bracelets of bone, teeth, berries, and stone hung on pieces of string or animal sinew, or pieces of carved bone used to secure clothing together. In some cases, jewellery had shell or mother-of-pearl pieces. A decorated engraved pendant (the Star Carr Pendant) dating to around 11,000 BC, and thought to be the oldest Mesolithic art in Britain, was found at the site of Star Carr in North Yorkshire in 2015. In southern Russia, carved bracelets made of mammoth tusk have been found. The Venus of Hohle Fels features a perforation at the top, showing that it was intended to be worn as a pendant.

Around seven thousand years ago, the first sign of copper jewellery was seen. In October 2012, the Museum of Ancient History in Lower Austria revealed that they had found a grave of a female jewellery worker.

Africa

Egypt

The first signs of established jewellery making in Ancient Egypt was around 3,000–5,000 years ago. The Egyptians preferred the luxury, rarity, and workability of gold over other metals. In Predynastic Egypt jewellery soon began to symbolise political and religious power in the community. Although it was worn by wealthy Egyptians in life, it was also worn by them in death, with jewellery commonly placed among grave goods.

In conjunction with gold jewellery, Egyptians used coloured glass, along with semi-precious gems. The colour of the jewellery had significance. Green, for example, symbolised fertility. Lapis lazuli and silver had to be imported from beyond the country's borders.

Egyptian designs were most common in Phoenician jewellery. Also, ancient Turkish designs found in Persian jewellery suggest that trade between the Middle East and Europe was not uncommon. Women wore elaborate gold and silver pieces that were used in ceremonies.

Europe and the Middle East

The first gold jewellery from Bulgaria

The oldest gold jewellery in the world is dating from 4,600 BC to 4,200 BC and was discovered in Europe, at the site of Varna Necropolis, near the Black Sea coast in Bulgaria.

Mesopotamia

By approximately 5,000 years ago, jewellery-making had become a significant craft in the cities of Mesopotamia. The most significant archaeological evidence comes from the Royal Cemetery of Ur, where hundreds of burials dating 2900–2300 BC were unearthed; tombs such as that of Puabi contained a multitude of artefacts in gold, silver, and semi-precious stones, such as lapis lazuli crowns embellished with gold figurines, close-fitting collar necklaces, and jewel-headed pins. In Assyria, men and women both wore extensive amounts of jewellery, including amulets, ankle bracelets, heavy multi-strand necklaces, and cylinder seals.

Jewellery in Mesopotamia tended to be manufactured from thin metal leaf and was set with large numbers of brightly coloured stones (chiefly agate, lapis, carnelian, and jasper). Favoured shapes included leaves, spirals, cones, and bunches of grapes. Jewellers created works both for human use and for adorning statues and idols.

Greece

The Greeks started using gold and gems in jewellery in 1600 BC, although beads shaped as shells and animals were produced widely in earlier times. Around 1500 BC, the main techniques of working gold in Greece included casting, twisting bars, and making wire. Many of these sophisticated techniques were popular in the Mycenaean period. The forms and shapes of jewellery in ancient Greece such as the armring (13th century BC), brooch (10th century BC) and pins (7th century BC), have varied widely since the Bronze Age as well. Other forms of jewellery include wreaths, earrings, necklace and bracelets. A good example of the high quality that gold working techniques could achieve in Greece is the 'Gold Olive Wreath' (4th century BC). Jewellery dating from 600 to 475 BC is not well represented in the archaeological record, but after the Persian wars the quantity of jewellery again became more plentiful. One particularly popular type of design at this time was a bracelet decorated with snake and animal-heads. By 300 BC, the Greeks had mastered making coloured jewellery and using amethysts, pearl, and emeralds. Also, the first signs of cameos appeared, with the Greeks creating them from Indian Sardonyx, a striped brown pink and cream agate stone. Greek jewellery was often simpler than in other cultures. However, as time progressed, the designs grew in complexity and different materials were soon used.

Jewellery in Greece was hardly worn and was mostly used for public appearances or on special occasions. It was frequently given as a gift and was predominantly worn by women to show their wealth, social status, and beauty. The jewellery was often supposed to give the wearer protection from the "evil eye". Older pieces of jewellery that have been found were dedicated to the Gods.

They worked two styles of pieces: cast pieces and pieces hammered out of sheet metal.

Etruscan

Gorgons, pomegranates, acorns, lotus flowers and palms were a clear indicator of Greek influence in Etruscan jewellery. The modelling of heads was a technique that spread throughout the Etruscan territory. An even clearer evidence of new influences is the shape introduced in the Orientalising era: The Bullae. A pear-shaped vessel used to hold perfume. Its surface was usually decorated with repoussé and engraved symbolic figures.

Much of the jewellery found was not worn by Etruscans, but were made to accompany them in the after world.

Rome

Although jewellery work was abundantly diverse in earlier times, especially among the tribes such as the Celts, when the Romans conquered most of Europe, jewellery was changed as smaller factions developed the Roman designs. The most common artefact of early Rome was the brooch, which was used to secure clothing together. The Romans used a diverse range of materials for their jewellery from their extensive resources across the continent. Although they used gold, they sometimes used bronze or bone, and in earlier times, glass beads and pearl. As early as 2,000 years ago, they imported Sri Lankan sapphires and Indian diamonds and used emeralds and amber in their jewellery. In Roman-ruled England, fossilised wood called jet from Northern England was often carved into pieces of jewellery. The early Italians worked in crude gold and created clasps, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. They also produced larger pendants that could be filled with perfume.

Like the Greeks, often the purpose of Roman jewellery was to ward off the "evil eye" given by other people. Although women wore a vast array of jewellery, men often only wore a finger ring. Roman men and women wore rings with an engraved gem on it that was used with wax to seal documents, a practice that continued into medieval times when kings and noblemen used the same method.

Asia

In Asia, the Indian subcontinent has the longest continuous legacy of jewellery making anywhere, with a history of over 5,000 years. One of the first to start jewellery making were the peoples of the Indus Valley civilisation, in what is now predominately modern-day Pakistan and part of northern and western India. Early jewellery making in China started around the same period, but it became widespread with the spread of Buddhism around 2,000 years ago.

China

The Chinese used silver in their jewellery more than gold. Blue kingfisher feathers were tied onto early Chinese jewellery and later, blue gems and glass were incorporated into designs. However, jade was preferred over any other stone. The Chinese revered jade because of the human-like qualities they assigned to it. The first jade pieces were very simple, but as time progressed, more complex designs evolved. Jade rings from between the 4th and 7th centuries BC show evidence of having been worked with a compound milling machine, hundreds of years before the first mention of such equipment in the west.

In China, the most uncommon piece of jewellery is the earring, which was worn neither by men nor women. Amulets were common, often with a Chinese symbol or dragon. Dragons, Chinese symbols, and phoenixes were frequently depicted on jewellery designs.

The Chinese often placed their jewellery in their graves.

Indian subcontinent

The Indian subcontinent has a long jewellery history, which has gone through various changes via cultural influence and politics for more than 5,000–8,000 years.^{[citation needed]} Because India had an abundant supply of precious metals and gems, it prospered financially through export and exchange with other countries. While European traditions were heavily influenced by waxing and waning empires, India enjoyed a continuous development of art forms for some 5,000 years. One of the first to start jewellery making were the peoples of the Indus Valley civilisation. By 1500 BC, the peoples of the Indus Valley were creating gold earrings and necklaces, bead necklaces, and metallic bangles.^{[citation needed]} Before 2100 BC, prior to the period when metals were widely used, the largest jewellery trade in the Indus Valley region was the bead trade.

Jewellery in the Indus Valley Civilisation was worn predominantly by females, who wore numerous clay or shell bracelets on their wrists.

A female skeleton wears a carlinean bangle (bracelet) on her left hand. Kada is a special kind of bracelet and is widely popular in Indian culture.

According to Hindu belief, gold and silver are considered as sacred metals. Gold is symbolic of the warm sun, while silver suggests the cool moon.

Jewellery had great status with India's royalty; it was so powerful that they established laws, limiting wearing of jewellery to royalty.

Navaratna (nine gems) is a powerful jewel frequently worn by a Maharaja (Emperor). It is an amulet, which comprises diamond, pearl, ruby, sapphire, emerald, topaz, cat's eye, coral, and hyacinth (red zircon).

India was the first country to mine diamonds, with some mines dating back to 296 BC.^{[citation needed]} India traded the diamonds, realising their valuable qualities. Historically, diamonds have been given to retain or regain a lover's or ruler's lost favour, as symbols of tribute, or as an expression of fidelity in exchange for concessions and protection.^{[citation needed]} Mughal emperors and Kings used the diamonds as a means of assuring their immortality by having their names and worldly titles inscribed upon them.

Today, many jewellery designs and traditions are used, and jewellery is commonplace in Indian ceremonies and weddings. For many Indians, especially those who follow the Hindu or Jain faiths, bridal jewellery is known as streedhan and functions as personal wealth for the bride only, as a sort of financial security. Jewellery is worn on the arms and hands, ears, neck, hair, head, feet, toes and waist to bless the bride with prosperity.

North and South America

Jewellery making started in the Americas with the arrival of Paleo-Indians more than 15,000 years ago. This jewellery would have been made from stone, shell, bone and other perishable materials. The American continent is home to 2 cradles of civilisation: in the Andes and Mesoamerica. Cultures in these regions developed more complex methods of jewellery creation. The Andes is the origin of hot working metallurgy in the Americas and consequently the region has the longest history of work in materials such as silver, platinum and gold. Metallurgy began in Mesoamerica during the Termainal Classic era, likely arriving from direct maritime trade with the Andean cultures. As a result, western Mesoamerican cultures, such as the Tarascans and Mixtecs, had more complex use of the technology.

With the Moche culture, goldwork flourished. The pieces are now masterful examples of jewellery making. Pieces are sophisticated in their design, and feature inlays of turquoise, mother of pearl, spondylus shell, and amethyst. The nose and ear ornaments, chest plates, small containers and whistles are considered masterpieces of ancient Peruvian culture. A notable example of Andean metallurgy is the Northern Andean cultures' work with platinum, which has a much higher melting point than other precious metals.

Among the Late Post-Classic Aztecs, only nobility wore gold jewellery, as it showed their rank, power, and wealth. Although gold was the most common and a popular material used in Aztec jewellery, jade, turquoise, and certain feathers were considered more valuable. In addition to adornment and status, the Aztecs also used jewellery in sacrifices to appease the gods.

Another ancient American civilisation with expertise in jewellery making were the Maya. During the Pre-Classic and Classic era of Maya civilisation, the Maya were making jewellery from local materials such as jade, pearls, and seashell while also incorporating imported materials such as obsidian and turquoise. In the Terminal Classic and Post-Classic, importation of gold, silver, bronze, and copper lead to the use of these materials in jewellery. Merchants and nobility were the only few that wore expensive jewellery in the Maya region, much the same as with the Aztecs. Jade in particular had an important role across Mesoamerica.

In Northern America, Native Americans used shells, wood, turquoise, and soapstone The turquoise incorporated into Mesoamerican jewellery was primarily obtained through trade with Oasisamerica. Native Americans with access to oyster shells, often located in only one location in America, traded the shells with other tribes, showing the great importance of the body adornment trade in Northern America.

Native American

Native American jewellery is the personal adornment, often in the forms of necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, pins, brooches, labrets, and more, made by the Indigenous peoples of the United States. Native American jewellery reflects the cultural diversity and history of its makers. Native American tribes continue to develop distinct aesthetics rooted in their personal artistic visions and cultural traditions. Artists create jewellery for adornment, ceremonies, and trade.

Pacific

Jewellery making in the Pacific started later than in other areas because of recent human settlement. Early Pacific jewellery was made of bone, wood, and other natural materials, and thus has not survived. Most Pacific jewellery is worn above the waist, with headdresses, necklaces, hair pins, and arm and waist belts being the most common pieces.

Jewellery in the Pacific, with the exception of Australia, is worn to be a symbol of either fertility or power. Elaborate headdresses are worn by many Pacific cultures.

Australia is now the number one supplier of opals in the world. Opals had already been mined in Europe and South America for many years prior, but in the late 19th century, the Australian opal market became predominant.

The New Zealand Māori traditionally had a strong culture of personal adornment, most famously the hei-tiki. Hei-tikis are traditionally carved by hand from bone, nephrite, or bowenite.

Nowadays, a wide range of such traditionally inspired items such as bone carved pendants based on traditional fishhooks hei matau and other greenstone jewellery are popular with young New Zealanders of all backgrounds.

Modern

Modern jewellery often uses traditional styles, but designers like Georg Jensen have new ideas for wearable art. New materials such as plastics, Precious Metal Clay, and new ways to colour bring more variety in styles. Better ways to grow pearls and make synthetic gemstones like moissanite mean more people can afford beautiful pieces.

The idea of "jewellery as art" began with artisans such as Robert Lee Morris and continues today. Styles from many cultures influence jewellery, such as bling-bling popularised by music artists, including grills worn over teeth. Recent years have mixed European designs with techniques from other places. New technologies like 3D printing make it easier and cheaper to create unique designs, even shapes that are hard to make by hand. Materials like polyamide, steel, and wax are often used.

Handmade jewellery, called artisan jewellery, is growing as a hobby and profession. Many people study jewellery design, especially in places like Australia. Some large and elaborate metal pieces are now called metal couture.

Masonic

Freemasons wear special jewellery called jewels on their collars when they are in a Lodge. These jewels show the roles that members have in the Lodge. For example, a square shows that someone is the Master of the Lodge, and a dove shows that someone is the Deacon. Wearing these jewels also shows that someone belongs to a lodge. There are different kinds of jewels that can be worn on the chest or around the neck.

Types of masonic collar jewels

Jewel of Kosmopolis Lodge in Bratislava

Historic jewel of the german lodge "Lessing zu den 3 Ringen"

!Jewel of the lodge "Zur Weltkugel" in Lübeck.der_Loge"Zur_Weltkugel".jpg "Jewel of the lodge "Zur Weltkugel" in Lübeck.")

Jewel of the lodge "Zur Weltkugel" in Lübeck.

Body modification

Jewellery used in body modification can be simple or very big. Small silver studs, rings, and earrings are common. Earrings are a type of body modification because they make a small hole in the ear.

Women from the Padaung tribe in Myanmar wear large golden rings around their necks. Girls may start wearing their first neck ring when they are young, and add more rings over time. These rings can make the neck look much longer. Other cultures, like the Innu and First Nations peoples in the Americas, also use jewellery to make ear piercings bigger.

In recent times, some people in Western cultures have started to use these body modification practices with decorative jewellery.

Jewellery market

The Asia Pacific region was the biggest part of the jewellery market in 2024, making up almost 40% of all jewellery sales around the world. In 2023, the whole jewellery market was worth about $353 billion and is expected to grow slowly each year.

In 2022, the jewellery market was worth around $270 billion and is expected to reach over $330 billion by 2026. The countries selling the most jewellery in 2022 were China, India, and the United States. India buys the most gold in the world.