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jewellry
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Added December 30, 2009
 hasinanajm
The history of jewellery
Jewellery history goes back many centuries, evolving from shells, animal teeth, and other objects used as adornment in prehistoric times. Jewellery making started in Egypt, Italy, China and South and Central America approximately 5000 years ago. Over the centuries it came to be a sign of social or religious rank. In Renaissance Italy, jewellery making reached the status of a fine art with many Italian sculptors training as goldsmiths. From the 17th century the decorative function of jewellery again came to the fore, overshadowing its symbolic significance. By 1930, industrialization in New York brought jewellery within the reach of the middle class by creating mass production processes. Jewellery has played an important role in world history where for example, the Spaniards established an empire to acquire the gold and jewelled objects of pre-Columbian Mexico and Peru in the 16th century. In the late 1840's gold was discovered in California, USA, which resulted in a mass migration of 250,000 people into the area. The mining camps grew into permanent towns, establishing a whole new area and economy. Diamonds were said to have been found by a farm hand in southern Africa in the mid-1860s on the de Beer farm. British Pioneer, Cecil John Rhodes bought a claim to the de Beer's diamond mine in 1871. This was to be the start of today's Central Selling Organisation, which now controls nearly 80% of the world diamond trade. The purpose of modern jewellery has changed very little. It's the great change in technology which has made jewellery more elaborate, ornate and sophisticated. Around the time of the Victorian Era, manufacturing processes were created to mass produce jewellery. This was a huge significant change as it meant jewellery could be produced at a much lower cost, thus making it available to the mass population. The basic methods of reproducing jewellery date back approximately 5000 years ago and those concepts are still employed to this day to create jewellery. As with most products, supply and demand create the high prices that some jewellery items demand as well as the scarcity of the raw materials. Metals such as platinum and gold are more expensive than silver due to their scarcity and high costs to mine. Gem quality diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires are also very expensive due to their scarce nature and high mining costs. Other than beauty, there are many significances to wearing jewellery. The ring, for example, is symbolic of unity and eternity. Because the ring is a circle, it was considered an object of protection, magical guard or something that warded off negativity through its continuity. Rings are still symbols of marriages and other unions due to them representing eternity. All rings were once magical or sacred. Take the jewellery history of the claddagh ring for example, where legend has it that the symbol was originated by Richard Joyce, a Galway seafarer who was kidnapped by pirates and sold into slavery in North Africa. Here he learnt the art of goldsmithing. When he was released he returned to his beloved Galway and became a master goldsmith where he created the claddagh ring. For centuries this jewellery was used as a wedding ring by the fisher folk of Claddagh village, which nestled outside the walls of Galway City in the west of Ireland. Claddagh rings are nowadays worn as friendship, engagement or wedding ring jewellery, depending on how they are worn. For friendship, the ring is worn anywhere on the right hand. As an engagement the ring is worn on the third finger of your left hand with the heart pointing outwards. As a wedding ring it is worn on the third finger of your left hand with the heart pointing inwards towards your heart. The name 'Claddagh' refers to a small fishing village in the Galway County (now part of Galway City) in the west of Ireland and has in itself much history attached to it. Other jewellery such as a necklace was considered a large ring worn around the neck. Because necklaces are worn near to the heart, they can be used to work on the emotions, or attract or strengthen love. Earrings have their own interesting history as they were once worn to guard the ears from negativity and disease. In some parts of history earrings were not used as jewellery but became a symbol of slavery as slaves wore earrings to mark their status. Gemstones and gemstone jewellery also have significances and great legends attached to them. For example the emerald gemstone was Cleopatra's (an Egyptian queen) favourite stone. Emeralds were mined near to the Red Sea and were a huge source of these gems. Cleopatra's emerald mines were the first known mines of their kind on earth and emerald is known to be one of Cleopatra's favourite jewellery. Diamonds are the most sought after gem in the world. In the symbolism of gemstones, the diamond represents steadfast love and is also the birthstone for April. The diamond is considered a 'girl's best friend' and is sought after in all forms of jewellery. Many famous diamonds have been set in jewellery and given their names from people who have found them or have been associated with them through history. The famous Cullinan diamond is the largest diamond ever discovered. It was named after Sir Thomas Cullinan who discovered the mine. The diamond weighed about 3,106 carats (approximately 621 grams) in rough form when it was found in 1905 at the Premier mine in Transvaal, South Africa. The diamond gem was purchased by the Transvaal Government and presented to Britain's King Edward VII. The diamond was cut into 9 large gems and about 100 smaller ones, all flawless. They are now form part of the British crown jewels. The history of jewellery and gemstones is seemingly endless. We have only started to touch the surface in what we have written here. If you are interested in Jewellery History, it is well worth bookmarking this page as we will be adding more information to it at a later date.
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