E1Jewellery :: Origins of Jewellery Articles
Since the dawn of civilization, jewellery was worn not only to adorn the body but to ward off evil spirits and protect the wearer against harm. Prehistoric men and women fashioned jewellery out of seeds, bones, teeth, feathers, stones and shells. One of the earliest forms of jewellery was the pendant, ingeniously created using plant fibres as a necklace attached to bones, shells or teeth.
During the reign of the Pharaohs, ancient Egyptians used gold as a symbol of wealth, status, might and power and adorned their bodies in life as well as in death with precious stones and jewels.
The early Greeks mastered the use of gemstones such as pearls, emeralds and amethyst to fashion pendants and later used glass paste to fashion less costly jewellery. The Romans used the brooch to secure clothing together and rings made of stone were used with wax to seal documents.
A favourite stone of the early Chinese was jade woven into Chinese symbols such as the dragon or the phoenix. India was actually the first country to mine diamonds back in 296BC and used them to trade. Bangles made of clay and shells were worn by Indian women while beads made from rough stones were crafted into small pieces and worn in the hair by both men and women.
The Aztecs and the Mayans used gold to create countless pieces of jewellery using feathers and birds to decorate their works of art, but only the Aztec nobility wore gold to show their rank, power and wealth. While the early Mayan jewellery was made of bone and stone, their expertise soon had them crafting beautiful jewellery out of bronze, copper, jade, silver and gold.
Origins of Jewellery Articles
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