History of Jewelry Making

I started doing a little research for my beginner students and I found out that the history of jewelry making is fascinating. Here it is...

Ancient cultures used easily available items found in nature to make jewelry. Many researchers believe the use of decorative objects grew out of the need to identity individuals, to determine which social group a person belonged to, or their status within that group.

So, when did we start making jewelry? It's believed that 75,000 year old jewelry beads were recently found in Africa, but the earliest known record concerning the making of jewelry is actually found in Egypt.

In ancient Egypt, gold was favored in jewelry making, and was often used to create everything from necklaces to head ornaments. They were also some of the first to incorporate gemstones into their jewelry, mainly using turquoise, amethyst, and lapis lazuli.

The ancient Greeks however, preferred to use beads shaped in very natural forms, such as shells, flowers, and even beetles! By 300 BC, the Greeks had also incorporated semi-precious stones into their designs, including emeralds, amethysts, garnets, and pearls.

Now, jumping ahead all the way to the 15th century, it was hard to find a woman that was not wearing a piece of jewelry. Soon jewelry advanced from a simple ornamental or amulet to a symbol of rank, wealth, and social standing.

In 1477 we welcomed diamond jewelry when the actual tradition of giving a diamond engagement ring as a promise of marriage is thought to have started. This practice became a trend among royalty and the wealthy when Archduke Maximilian of Austria presented Mary of Burgundy with a diamond ring.

However, it wasn't until the mid-20th century that diamond rings became the icons of engagement that they are today, when De Beers launched its infamous "Diamonds Are Forever" campaign in 1947, making diamonds essential to modern American brides. Interestingly, the tradition of placing both the engagement ring and wedding band on the fourth finger of the left hand, stems from an Egyptian belief that a vein in that finger (vena amoris) runs directly to the heart.

As you can see, jewelry making is a beautiful art with endless possibilities of designs. So, next time you are having trouble getting inspired... why don’t' you take a look at the past and the beautiful history of jewelry?

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