Jewellery has fascinated mankind for thousands of years and some of the oldest known pieces date back to the Stone Age some 75,000 to 100,000 years ago. The word originates from the Latin "jocale", meaning "plaything" and also "jewel" which was anglicised during the 13th century from the old French word "jouel" meaning any piece of precious material used to adorn one’s self. Spelt differently on both sides of the Atlantic, Google receives 13,600,000 global monthly searches for the word "jewellery" of which 2,740,000 are from the UK. When spelt "Jewelry" which is the American way, it is searched for a staggering 20,400,000 times a month globally and interestingly "jewellry" although spelt incorrectly, is searched for 1,830,000 times a month from the UK alone. The number of pages returned from these searches is equally as staggering and vary from 223,000,000 to 640,000,000 depending on the spelling. These figures confirm just how popular jewellery is in today's society and how important it is for online retailers such as ourselves, to be able to be found in search results. The competition to appear on page one of Google is fierce and it is the very reason why you will often find it spelt incorrectly in search results.
The history of jewellery is fascinating and the variety which is available today around the world, is both extensive and diverse, but how did it all begin?
Early man used any materials which were available to him including animal teeth, bone, shell, wood and stone. Historians believe that these were used primarily as functional items to fasten clothing and it was some time before they were used for personal adornment or in spiritual and religious ceremonies. It is likely that gemstones were initially collected in much the same way as food considering man was a hunter gatherer and we'll never known for sure what he must have thought of these seemingly useless but colourful objects which in many cases, were harder than any other naturally occurring material he had ever come across. As mankind evolved, jewellery became a symbol of wealth and status and gemstones were often used as amulets and talismans and subsequently for healing wounds or ailments. It is known to have been made out of almost every natural material known to man including snail shells some of which date back 75,000 years whilst beads made from ostrich egg shells have been dated to more than 40,000 years ago. Difficulties in exact interpretation arise as a result of the written languages that historians can conclusively translate so understandably, the customs and practices of Stone Age man is subject to interpretation and vast amounts of speculation.
What makes it so fascinating whether it was made by primitive man or by modern designers, is that in the vast majority of cases it serves little purpose other than personal adornment. As well as being used for jewellery, gemstones have been used in everything from industry to architecture with one example being Kyanite which is used for the manufacture of spark plugs and heat resistant ceramics and another the Taj Mahal which was constructed out of translucent white Marble with twenty eight different varieties of gemstone inlaid into it including Jasper, Jade, Turquoise, Lapis lazuli, Sapphire and Carnelian. In more recent times, gemstones have also been used for the purpose of art and Peter Fabergé's eggs are a perfect example.
Although a huge variety of different natural materials are used in jewellery design, gemstones remain one of the most popular and in particular, Diamonds. Diamonds were first mined in India and have been known there for at least 3,000 years but more likely as least 6,000. The British crown jewels contain the Cullinan Diamond found in South Africa in 1905 which is part of the largest gem-quality rough Diamond ever to be found. Many different gemstones are used in jewellery with some being better known than others. Some of the most popular varieties include Amethyst, Emerald, Jade (which is more closely linked to Asian culture, history and tradition) Lapis Lazuli, varieties of Quartz, Ruby, Sapphire and Turquoise whilst some which are less known and also rarer include Eudialyte, Tiffany Stone, Charoite, Pietersite, Phosphosiderite and Larimar.
The way in which jewellery is worn and used is ever changing. Culture and fashion also have a strong influence and a perfect example is earrings which have in recent times in some cultures, gone from being predominantly a female accessory, to something which is widely worn by men and in the vast majority of cases, it signifies anything but effemininity.
The first signs of jewellery came from Africa which is unsurprising considering the cradle of civilization is believed to be Mesopotamia which is the region around modern day Iraq. Outside of Africa, archaeologists have found crudely made items made from animal teeth, berries, nuts, stone, Mother of Pearl and other shells and in southern Russia, jewellery has been found made from the tusks of the Woolly Mammoth and some pieces were clearly intended to be used as pendants. An amulet in the form of a pendant made from gold, Lapis Lazuli, Turquoise and Carnelian which dates back to 254 BC is housed in the Louvre in Paris.
The Ancient Egyptians began making jewellery around 3,000-5,000 years ago and it clearly symbolised power and wealth. It was worn both in life and death and they often used coloured glass in place of gemstones not because they didn’t have access to them, but because they preferred the colours that could be created in glass. Having said that, they were able to reproduce the colour of almost every gemstone, a practice which has continued to this day.
By approximately 4,000 years ago, jewellery making had become a significant craft in the cities of Sumer and Mesopotamia and it often featured large numbers of brightly coloured gemstones including Agate, Lapis Lazuli, Carnelian and Jasper.
By 1600 BC the Greeks had started using gold and gemstones such as Amethyst, Pearl and Emeralds in jewellery and by 300 BC they had also mastered the art of using colour. Cameos were also appearing which were made from Indian Sardonyx and although the designs were simple, they quickly developed and grew in complexity and many different materials began to appear. Jewellery was mainly used for public appearances and special occasions and was frequently given as a gift. Mainly worn by women, it displayed wealth, social status and beauty. Some items were believed to offer protection from the ‘evil eye’ or give the wearer mystical and supernatural powers whilst others had religious symbolism. Gold and silver was used extensively and was often embedded with ivory or fine gemstones but copies using bronze and clay were also common.
In Asia, the Indian subcontinent has the longest continuous legacy of jewellery making anywhere in the world with a history spanning 5,000 years. One of the first known tribes to start making it was the people of the Indus Valley Civilization in what is now modern day Pakistan. In China it began around the same time but only became widespread with the spread of Buddhism around 2,000 years ago.
Chinese jewellery was very religion oriented and contained Buddhist symbols, a tradition which continues to this day. They used more silver than gold which was frequently decorated with the colour blue and Jade was extremely popular. Jade rings from between the 4th and 7th centuries BC show evidence of having been worked with a type of machine which was not seen in the West until hundreds of years later. Chinest women wore highly detailed gold and silver head dresses whilst men wore decorative hat buttons and/or gold or silver rings. Women also wore strips of gold on their foreheads which was an early form of tiara often decorated with precious gemstones and both sexes frequently wore earrings.
Among the Aztecs, gold represented rank, power and wealth and both the Emperor and his High Priests would be almost completely covered in gold when making public appearances. Although it was the most common and popular material used in Aztec society, Jade, Turquoise and certain feathers were considered to be even more valuable. Gemstones were also embedded into daggers which were used to perform sacrifices on both animals and humans. The Maya were another ancient American civilisation who had great expertise with jewellery who at the peak of their civilisation, were using Jade, gold, silver, bronze and also copper, however in earlier times they had little access to metal, so mainly used bone or stone.
The Romans used a diverse selection of materials due to the accessibility of a wide variety of natural resources found across the European and Mediterranean continents which were under their dominion. They also had an extensive network of trade which gave them access to many exotic materials and precious gemstones that travelled along the ancient Silk Road from Persia, the Indus Valley, India and the Far East. Gold, bronze, bone, glass and Pearls were frequently used as were Sri Lankan Sapphires, Indian Diamonds, Emeralds, Amber and in Roman ruled England, fossilised wood. Although mainly worn by women, men were expected to wear a single ring however many ignored tradition and wore one on every finger. Rings were often an intaglio or seal used to secure documents, a practice which continued well into medieval times and was used extensively by kings and noblemen. The early Italians worked extensively with crude gold and made clasps, necklaces, earrings and bracelets and they also produced large pendants which could be filled with perfume. After the fall of the Roman Empire, many of their designs were adopted by neighbouring countries and tribes.
The Renaissance and also global exploration had significant impacts in Europe and by the 17th century, increasing trade lead to the increased availability of a wide variety of materials as well as exposure to the art of other cultures. Prior to this, the working of gold and precious metal had been at the forefront of jewellery design but this period saw the increased use of gemstones and the style of their settings. An example is the Cheapside Hoard which is the stock of a jeweller hidden in London during the Commonwealth period which was not found again until 1912. The Cheapside Hoard is the greatest collection of Elizabethan and Jacobean jewellery in the world and it contained Colombian Emerald, Topaz, Amazonite, Spinel, Iolite, Chrysoberyl from Sri Lanka, Ruby from India, Afghani Lapis Lazuli, Persian Turquoise, Red Sea Peridot as well as Bohemian and Hungarian Opal, Garnet and Amethyst.
In the late 18th century, Romanticism had a profound impact on the development of western jewellery and the most significant influence was people's fascination with treasures that were being discovered through modern archaeology. Changing social conditions and the onset of the Industrial Revolution also lead to the growth of a middle class who had money to spend. As a result the use of industrial processes and cheaper alloys and substitutes lead to the development of costume jewellery. During this period mourning jewellery was also made popular by Queen Victoria who often wore Jet or Black Onyx.
In 1837 Tiffany & Co appeared in the USA and began creating stunning commissions for people such as the wife of Abraham Lincoln and later would they would become famous for the setting of the film Breakfast at Tiffany's. In France Pierre Cartier founded 'Cartier' in 1847 whilst 1884 saw the appearance of Bulgari in Italy. This was the beginning of mass as opposed to individual craftsmanship and patronage.
In the 1890's the style of Art Nouveau began being explored which encompassed many distinct features including a focus on the female form and an emphasis on colour, most commonly rendered through the use of enamelling techniques and pieces included motifs of flowers, birds, insects, animals and mythological creatures. This new style moved the focus from the setting of gemstones to artistic design. Art Nouveau was most popular from around 1895 although it actually began around 1875 in Paris and had died out by the end of World War I. By this time public attitudes had changed and a more sober style of jewellery crept in. Growing political tensions, the after-effects of the war and a reaction against the perceived decadence of the turn of the 20th century led to simpler designs combined with more effective manufacturing for mass production of a higher quality. Covering the 1920's and 1930's, this style became known as Art Deco and a number of modern materials were introduced including plastic and aluminium. Designs were influenced by African, Egyptian and Japanese themes and were famous for their geometric shapes, sharp lines and bright colours. This era came to an end in 1939 with the start of world war two and the next fashion was retro.
The retro jewellery period began in the 1930's during the depression and lasted until 1950. Designs were chunky with large colourful gemstones which were usually way over sized. Artificial Rubies and Sapphires as well as Aquamarine and Citrine were also popular as they provided good colour and charms were worn in large quantities on bracelets.
Moving forward to the modern day, whilst the style and variety of jewellery is ever changing, it is no longer a true representation of social status or wealth and in the vast majority of cases, it is worn solely for beauty or simply as a fashion accessory.
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