Throughout time, man has
sought to decorate the human
body and this has manifested
as body painting, tattoos,
piercing and for those a little
squeamish or less brave, decoration
by the wearing of adornments
generally know as jewelry.
In ancient times, jewelry
may have been simple pieces
made from natural materials
such as shells plucked from
the seashore or pebbles worn
smooth and polished by years
of being tumbled along the
sea or river bed. These would
have been strung together
perhaps as necklaces or wrist
pieces as early examples of
a charm bracelet. Nature gives
up so many beautiful things
that can be used to make items
such as earrings, rings, bracelets,
hair pieces and so the list
goes on.
Skilled craftsmen would have
laboured for many hours intricately
carving small pieces of bone,
ivory or wood to fashion exquisite
unique pieces of jewelry,
no two of which would ever
be the same.
To ancient man, jewelry was
not just decorative but very
symbolic and the wearer often
held the belief that these
trinkets were lucky, that
they would ward off evil spirits
or that they would even help
them defeat their enemies
in battle.
To the Romans and Ancient
Egyptians the wearing of jewelry
and the type of jewelry worn
was a direct indication of
a persons standing in the
community. Large heavy ornate
pieces forged from solid precious
metals such as gold, encrusted
with precious or semi precious
gemstones were a sign to say
– look how rich and
important I am.
Styles and materials may
have changed over time but
the wearing of jewelry has
always been a practice adopted
by both men and women.
Over the years there has
even been functional jewelry
such as the medical alert
items, which have saved many
peoples lives. Identity type
bracelets worn by a person
who has a medical condition
or requires vital medication
have helped medical personnel
decide on appropriate treatment
when faced with a person who
has been rendered incapable
of communicating because of
for instance an accident.
Over recent years, popular
items have been the brightly
coloured rubber bracelets
sold in aid of various charities,
which demonstrate that the
wearer supports that cause
and has donated money to help
raise funds for that cause.
Some traditionalists may not
regard these strictly as being
jewelry although who said
that the article had to be
expensive or made from precious
metals to qualify for the
name.
In modern times, we have
seen a huge increase in the
type and variety of jewelry
available and the discovery
of new strong and lightweight
metals such as titanium or
other alloys has given rise
to new many new possibilities.
Man made materials such as
acrylics and plastics also
lend themselves very well
to the manufacture of affordable,
colourful jewelry and in the
shops you can see many examples
of wonderful, bright and modern
fun items, to be worn on any
occasion as the mood takes.
Whilst most of us choose to
spend a little extra on that
special piece of jewelry such
as our wedding rings, we now
have an endless choice of
less expensive everyday jewelry
which we can change to suit
our mood or match our outfit.
Who knows what the future
holds with regard to the designs
and materials we will have
at our disposal to make attractive
pieces of jewelry to be worn
by both men and women. One
thing is for certain and that
is that there will be a never
ending supply with something
to suit all tastes and all
budgets from the most traditional
to the most contemporary.
