What is jewelry?
The word jewelry can be considered to be an extremely wide term. It refers to a lot of types that fall under the category. Jewelry consists of any decorative article that is worn on the body or one’s clothes. These items of decoration are mostly worn for personal adornment. Brooches, rings, necklaces, chockers, hairpins, cufflinks, watches, bracelets, armlets, waste bands, earrings, etc. can all be considered to fall under the category of jewelry.
Other pieces of adornment like hat pins, lapel pins, cuff links, etc. can also be called jewelry. Jewelry includes all the pieces of adornment worn by both men and women. Jewelry can be worn directly on the body. It can also be attached to the clothes worn by a person. For example, turban ornaments, brooches, hair ornaments, etc.
Materials used in the making of jewelry:
When looked at in a western context, jewelry refers to an ornament that has certain durability. For a very long time, metals of value like gold, silver, and platinum have been used for the making of jewelry and ornaments. These metals were often and continue to be even today to be set with gemstones and other precious objects and materials. All of these have been the normal materials for jewelry.
Various other materials have also been used by various cultures across the world to make pieces of jewelry over the years. Certain cultures use tree barks, special wood, twigs, etc. for making their jewelry. Some cultures use shells, and corals as well.
The difference with various cultures:
Some people have been making traditional pieces of jewelry with glass beads, etc. the materials used for the production of jewelry vary very drastically all around the world. But the basic concept of adorning oneself and one’s clothes with certain things seems to be a common practice followed by all humans irrespective of where they belong.
How does jewelry unite us?
One can say that this love and appreciation for good jewelry is a common thread that ties us all as human beings. Everyone desires to look good and wear fine pieces. This is just a universal concept. And this is one of the undeniable facts out there.
The history of jewelry:
Jewelry is considered to be one of the oldest types of archaeological artifacts that are found. It is believed that if you dig deep enough in any place, you’ll find jewelry there. jewelry has played a prominent role in narrating the stories of our past. The type of jewelry discovered in a certain location talks a lot about the people who lived there. And what their lives were like.
The oldest jewelry to have ever been discovered is around 100,000 years old. It is a string of shells strung together to form a necklace-like jewel. In today’s times, wholesale jewelry has grown widely in popularity. Wholesale jewelry is generally mass manufactured. It is accessible to anybody and everybody. Because they are produced by machines, they tend to be stronger and well made.
