Jewelry in History

Executive Summary about Jewelry History By Steve Hill

Looking back over the past centuries, it is very evident that jewelry has been a vital part of our society. Beginning with ancient Greece, jewelry has been worn by men and women alike. More recently, during the Georgian period from the early 1700s to the mid 1800s, jewelry designs were predominantly nature themed with flowers, leaves, insects, birds and feathers engraved or carved. Gemstones were favored during this time along with agates, intaglios and cabochon cut stones.

Later in the 1800s, during the early Victorian Period, scrollwork, floral sprays and animal themes were the dominant style.

These styles were intermingled with multi-colored gold and many pieces of enameled jewelry began during this period. The late Victorian Period up to 1900 brought diamonds into popularity. Bird, insect and animal themes were set in metal and many pieces began implementing the use of spring mechanisms. Delicate pendants of colored stones and pearls were also highly popular during this time.

During the time from 1900 until 1950, the styles and designs of jewelry changed rapidly and substantially. Early in the 1900s jewelry became very delicate and feminine. Bows, ribbons, urns, starts and small flower garlands were seen widely during this time. Platinum on yellow gold with diamond trim or large diamonds with smaller diamonds for accents became very popular during this era. Stones were cut into triangles and other shapes along with colored gemstones such as rubies, sapphires, emeralds and onyx to create beautiful and contrasting combinations.

During World War II much of the gold and silver and all of the platinum were needed to fund military spending.

During this time the American jewelry market burst into its own. Colored gold in beautiful yellows, pinks and greens were developed. Designs were also developed that used three dimensional and sculptured ribbons, bows and folds that resembled fabrics. After the war the jewelry became much less romantic and took on more of a militaristic look.

Textured gold was also introduced and the look virtually dominated the 1950s with Florentine finishes, twisted rope, braided wire and meshing. During this decade it was customary to wear gold jewelry without gemstones during the day while diamonds and other stones were worn for evenings. Amethyst, turquoise and coral were among the most popular colored gemstones. White cultured pearls were also becoming highly popular for both day and night wear.

Jewelry designers looked to create a unique and different approach to jewelry styles. Baguette diamonds were also designed into solitaires and were worn during both the day and night.

While the wedding of Princess Diana to Prince Charles gave women all over the world the desire for jewelry with a classy and sophisticated elegance, television shows such as Dallas had women yearning for a more glamorous approach to their jewelry. Colored pearls were highly popular and the overall designs of jewelry ranged from large and chunky to small and elegant. Typically jewelry never goes out of style. Jewelry has been part of our lives since nearly the dawn of time and it is highly evident that it will remain so for many years to come.

The Interesting History of Jewelry

Executive Summary about Jewelry History By Misha Kapoor

We have been wearing jewelry forever. Why do we call it jewelry and how did it become an indispensable part of of our lives. I am sure every woman in this world and even most men wear one or the other kind of jewelry. So read these interesting facts about the interesting origin of jewelry.

The word jewelry traces its origin to the Latin word 'jocale' meaning 'plaything'. It is derived from old french word 'jouel'. Jewelry today means sparkling gold and silver to us but when it began, materials like bones, claws, teeth, shells, wood and only natural materials were used. The earliest used metal for making jewelry was ''free gold'', which was found in Spanish caves and was native to the region. The initials signs of crude metallurgy were witnessed over 10,000 years ago, when native copper, meteoric iron, silver and tin were first used by humans to create tools and possibly, jewelry. And then slowly gradually with time, as man advanced his skills, started wearing clothes, he also began to use jewelry for ornamentation.

Each civilization came to be associated with a particular kind of jewelry that was inspired by the lifestyle, rituals and beliefs of the people comprising it. Magnificent bracelets, pendants, necklaces, rings, armlets, earrings, diadems, head ornaments, pectoral ornaments and collars of gold were all produced in ancient Egypt, the land of the Pharaohs as long ago as 3000 B.C.

In ancient Greece, beads shaped as natural forms like shells, flowers and beetles were manufactured on a large scale. By 300 BC the Greeks were making multi colored jewelry and used emeralds, garnets, amethysts and pearls. 2000 years ago the Romans were using sapphires from Sri Lanka, cloudy emeralds, garnets, amber and Indian diamond crystals.

Moving ahead in time, during the 13th century, the sumptuary laws forced on dress prevented the common man from adorning particular types of jewelry. In fact, this time made jewelry an important symbol to distinguish the social class rather than just ornamentation pieces. By the 17th century, an age of elegance followed that brought about the practice of decorating garments with precious gemstones and jewelry pieces. It was also the period which saw the origin of semiprecious and cheaper imitations of precious jewels coming up in the market. It is usually crafted with sterling silver and natural gemstones. Though less expensive than genuine gold and diamond jewelry, it is equally eye catching, stands apart for its craftsmanship and makes a unique style statement. Then followed the era of empire jewelry, tracing its origin to 1804 in France. These had elegant state of the art designs inspired by the architecture of the period.

Thus, the contemporary pieces of jewelry worn by women today, have evolved through a series of phases. In old civilizations, jewelry was a symbol of your social class, though now it represents the money you have. The designs are chosen by the wearer depending on his liking, lifestyle, fashion and budget. But all said, jewelry or jewelery is definitely a woman's inseparable companion for life.

Then came the much loved and desired even today, the Victorian jewelry era characterized by fine detailing and craftsmanship; truly a class apart. Other jewelry fads that sprang up included mourning jewelry, cocktail jewelry, gothic jewelry and art deco jewelry.