Jewelry has changed a lot over the centuries. But so too has the reason for making it in the first place.
Many experts believe that jewelry was first developed out of religious significance. The earliest jewelry came from the only materials that primitive man had to work with, such as shells, bones and simples shells. It wasn’t until much later that jewelry as we know it really started emerging, when people began refining more expensive materials. As the value of jewelry changed, so too did its significance.
Currency
As time went on, jewelry became both a form of currency and a form of status. History is rife with ancient tales of jewelry being exchanged for goods and services. By wearing jewelry, the wealthy not only kept their money on them, they also let other people know that they had money to spare.
Status Symbol
As jewelry became a status symbol, more detail went into its construction to further set it apart from all others. As such, the jeweler began to evolve into a more and more respected trade. Thousands of years ago the jeweler was widely regarded, and remnants from these ancient craftsmen can be found in the Egyptian tombs and ancient cities of old Sumer.
But the jewelry designer is very much a product of his time and place. Archaeologists have gained tremendous insight into how the ancient culture lived by merely examining their jewelry. After all, the jewelers whose art has lived on to present day were likely the ones with the greatest success in their own day.
The extravagance of jewelry also tends to shift from era to era. Before the turn of the century, for example, there was little shame in displaying your wealth. The gentlemanly elite were the ideal; people at large had yet to attach a dignity to the working poor.
But early in the 20th Century many of society’s preconceived notions were torn down by the carnage of World War I. Wealth became synonymous with decadence, and jewelers responded with more sedate styles. That continued until the post-World War II years, when the country experienced a tremendous economic turnaround. After living in Depression for decades, Americans were hungry to live a little once again.
Today the art of making jewelry takes precedence above the value of the jewelry. Many Americans make purchases with cash – scraps of paper – rather than rare, expensive jewels.
