Evolution of Jewelry Designs

Jewelry is considered by many as a personal embellishment. A person’s choice for a jewelry design is reflective of his or her personality. Each piece is meticulously picked by the one wearing it to ascertain that it complements or enhances the person’s attire. They come in varying sizes and intricacies. Most of the time gemstones and precious metals are commonly used in crafting this type of ornament. No matter how expensive they may cost, many would still patronize them. Judging on their popularity, I could not help but wonder their origin and evolution.

History of Jewelry

The oldest known jewelry is the recently found 100,000 years old Nassarius beads. In the earlier times, jewelry pieces were created for their practical use in pinning garments together such as clasps, brooches, and buckles. They were primarily made of natural materials such as animal teeth or bone, shell, carved stones, and wood. Jewelries were typically made for people who had a place in the society to serve as a status symbol. The amount and type of jewelry being worn denotes the wearer’s wealth.

Adaptation of jewelry varies from one culture to another. Numerous societies make use of jewelry in several ways. Wearing of devotional medallions and amulets has also become a tradition in order to protect the wearer from his or her enemies and to ward off evil spirits. For some, it is customary to give jewelries as a wedding dowry or as an inheritance to the younger generations. Alternatively, jewelries are also used as a currency during trade.

Although jewelries have always functioned as an artistic display even at the start of pre-historic era, they have not been taken singly for this reason alone. People of ancient times have been motivated by their function rather than their aesthetic value.

Modernization of Jewelry

Beginning in the nineteenth century, jewelry designs have become more defined due to the works of some masters who have made innovative moves. The likes of Rene Lalique and Peter Faberge pioneered the art of jewelry design. Their successors namely Ed Levin and Robert Morris expanded the art and carried it to the modern societies.

Nowadays, jewelries are being worn mostly as a body adornment. The materials being used have been expanded to include a number of elements such as pearls and inexpensive synthetic objects. Also, jewelry designs have become more pronounced and elaborated.