Jewelry - A Cultural Perspective

Jewelry is one of the many adornments that have evolved and changed over time. These changes, and even the use of jewelry, is not universal over different cultures. As a matter of fact, it seems to be completely opposite between different groups, times and even in different countries. Religions have also used jewelry or rejected jewelry as a personal adornment, often using the same text or scripture to reference why jewelry should or should not be worn.

In earliest recorded times in many different cultures jewelry was used as a sign of status and power. It is believed that that the Egyptians and Romans e were among the first to create and value jewelry as a fashion adornment, although other groups used jewelry for specific groups within the culture. This jewelry was typically gold and also large pieces, similar to the cuff bracelets and heavy pendants that are still very much in vogue today. The Greeks soon branched out into different forms of jewelry including beading, delicate gold earrings and chains and even the smaller, finer rings that featured gemstones such as garnets, amethysts, pearls and emeralds. This was all done before 1400 BC, meaning that these early Greek jewelers were already on the cutting edge of fashion.

At around 800 BC the Italians also created their own gold jewelry that included necklaces, bracelets and earrings. One of the unique and highly fashionable pieces of jewelry in that time period was a necklace with a hollow pendant that could be filled with a perfume of the wearer's choice, perhaps a necessity considering the conditions of the time. The Romans at this time were also using the same type of gold in their jewelry and coins as the Italians and this gold was all 18 to 24 carat, with various gems, including most of what are now considered precious gems within their jewelry creations.

In medieval times England and France passed what are known as Sumptuary Laws, which restricted the wearing of ornate jewelry by all but royalty. By the 17th century this tradition had completely reversed itself with everyone wearing as much jewelry as possible in these countries. Interestingly enough most of the daily jewelry wasn't even real, paste gems, fake pearls and even ornamental but artificially gemmed clasps to fasten clothing were all the rage, regardless of your position in society. Of course the wealthiest wore only the real thing for formal dress, however they still used faux jewelry for everyday.

From that point on jewelry became a significant part of Western culture. Everything from the cameo made famous by Napoleon to what is now known as Victorian jewelry from Queen Victoria's reign starting in 1837, jewelry has been in vogue as part of fashion and everyday dress.

Most cultures have used materials in jewelry making in two ways, easily available materials for daily wear and rare or valuable items in high end fashion pieces. Each culture has determined what is the style for the period, often resulting in marked differences between one fashion era to the next. The great news is that there is a considerable market in vintage jewelry and even older pieces are still highly valued and can make a terrific addition to anyone's jewelry collection.

Amy Carrington is a fashion maven and an editor at http://www.SorellaJewelry.com Sorella creates personalized jewelry with the names, words, dates and Chinese symbols that matter to you.

Affordable Superb and Practical

Fashion jewelry began as a form of jewelry that was pasted onto various dramatically decorative theater costumes, which was called costume jewelry and even paste jewelry. However, as the years past, an assortment of materials were utilized for fashioning some very unique and stunning jewelry pieces. Some of the various metals useful for making fashion jewelry included nickel, pewter, brass and lead. Sterling silver, silver and gold may be electroplated over other metals such as copper or brass, offering the appearance of more valuable pieces, while being inexpensive. Other types of materials for fashion jewelry may include, wood, Lucite, rhinestones, or simulated gemstones, semi-precious stones as well as various crystals and lab created gemstones.

Since jewelry that is fashionable for celebrities, is the most often sought by the general public, many jewelry designers are regularly creating less expensive fashion jewelry that are similar in appearance to that of the designer jewelry worn by the celebrities. This means that even though the majority may not be able to afford such luxurious designer brand jewelry types, they may find their designer replicas to be more wallet friendly. For instance, take a look into the pages of many popular fashion magazines today, and you will find an assortment in showcases for both clothes and jewelry that are similar in appearance to the more expensive designs within budget of the everyday individual.

The best thing about fashion jewelry is that you can easily buy a lot more pieces of jewelry to compliment all your attire, because it is so inexpensive. Besides when you buy fashion jewelry, there is no need to fret over buying insurance, as with expensive designer jewelry. It is easily located nationwide in various department and discount stores and outlets. While you are always sure to find just the right designs and styles that are dazzling to compare with designer jewelry, for a fraction of the price, when you shop online for your fashion jewelry.

Properly Caring for Your Fashion Jewelry

To enjoy the long life of your fashion jewelry, even if it is less expensive, you will need to care for it properly, to ensure its appearance of newness and striking beauty. You can extend the lifetime of your fashion jewelry by never getting it wet. Keeping it nice and dry, means taking it off for bathing or swimming, since moisture can cause its colors to turn or even rust. Actually, it is best not to wear your fashion jewelry continuously, rather you should wear it occasionally and then take it off, because the acidity of our body can cause color changes in fashion jewelry. Remember, it will stay beautiful longer by taking care of it properly.

Leaving it on for extended periods of time can cause fashion jewelry to change colors due to the acidity of our bodies. Fashion jewelry is beautiful, less costly, and can last a surprisingly long time provided that it is cared for properly.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vincent_Pham

How to Get Started Making Silver and Gold Jewelry for Profit or Fun.

Jewelry making has long been an art form passed on from father to son, all the way back to ancient times; people have adorned themselves in Silver, Gold, and Gemstone Jewelry,

African tribes, the Native American Indian tribes and numerous ethnic tribes have used Bone carved pendants, Animal Ivory, Bird feathers and Seashells, to fashion accessories to use as jewelry.

Today we give our Jewelry titles ,such as Ethnic Jewelry ,Tribal Jewelry ,Antique Jewelry, Fashion Jewelry and so on .In this article we are going to Talk about Designer Hand made jewelry ,How to make it either for fun or for those really keen students how to do it and make money from your hobby .

Right lets get going .You have two options to start with, you can either buy raw silver from your local distributor, or find a Jewelry Manufacture that will supply you with the materials, there is a choice between 925 or 985 in the grade of silver you buy, I prefer to work in Fine silver 985, but you may find this a little difficult to buy. For the purpose of this article we are going to choose the second option and buy our material from a reputable Jewelry Manufacture and we are going to start with making a simple Sterling silver 925 pendant with a Turquoise cabochon Gemstone.

The majority of tools needed can be purchased form a good hardware store and some of the more hard to find items you will be able to get from either a Silver Jewelry Manufacture or Supplier.

Your heat source can be either a gas bottle with extension hose and flame adjusting nozzle or as we use in our workshop a petrol bellows and hose set with adjustable nozzle, its important witch ever set you buy that you can regulate the flame and heat .Next comes the hand tools you will need a small brass hammer, tweezers about 7inches long, small tin snips, brass block 4inches by 4inches and 1inch thick ,rags,2part epoxy, battery acid, fine grade file , a flexible shaft grinder and a ceramic base to heat your silver on ,here is a handy tip a house brick and unglazed roof tile work just great. That should be enough for you to get started.

Step1 is to cut a strip of silver slightly wider then the thickness of the turquoise and long enough to wrap around the diameter of the gemstone, and carefully cut it so as the 2 ends meet tightly around the gemstone.

Step2, take your solder and place a small amount of flux on the two joins, heat the silver strip till red, apply the solder carefully, and it’s joined. If you haven’t done any soldering before try a few practice runs first, you will be able to use that silver later on.

Step3, take your sterling silver band and place it on a flat piece of silver plate, check that the turquoise still fits, then as in step 2 apply flux and solder the band to the plate.

Step4, remove the excess silver with your tin snips and sand off any rough edges.

Step5,decide on a shape for your bail and cut it out of silver accordingly, bend into shape .now solder that to the pendant ,and while hot dip the whole pendant into a small jar of acid ,rinse in a jar of clear water and dry.

Step6, Place your turquoise into you silver and carefully trim away any surplus silver. Once your happy with the fit you can sand the silver again with fine grade emery paper, give a small amount of epoxy to the inside of the pendant and insert the turquoise stone .Now take a spoon and using the back work it around the pendant to give a snug fit with the silver and allow to dry.

Step7, Using your flexi grinder insert a polishing cloth disc, add some silver polish and buff the silver to the required finish.

The principles above are applied to all silver work; no it’s up to the imagination of the jewelry designer and skillfulness of the jeweler.

My wife and I have been manufacturing silver jewelry for over 10yrs ,we have successfully helped hundreds of wholesalers and retailers reach there market goals through our custom making jewelry services ,with our monogrammed jewelry made from fine silver985 % if you would like to contact us go to http://www.silver925-wholesale.com

The Traditional Gemstone Gift List for Special Anniversaries

By: Mel Larson

Actually, these are the anniversaries to be celebrated big time, and the ones for which the gifts need to be more meaningful. Since the big crowds won’t be there any longer for anniversary parties, it is the closest friends and the family which celebrate the successful negotiation of yet another year. With kids, grandkids, nephews and nieces all around, these anniversaries are to show them and set an example that a successful marriage can bring about so much happiness.

Hence, the gifts for these anniversaries also are pre-set in our tradition. Though people make changes freely in them nowadays, the basic metal and stone suggested would not change. Here is the list, and we have skipped the ones in between to accommodate the more significant milestones.

10th Year – Diamond jewelry – Till year 10, diamonds don’t feature in the gift list. The first significant anniversary in the list is the tenth, and that certainly deserves diamond jewelry. The most preferred pieces of jewelry for the tenth anniversary are matching sets for both the husband and the wife – something like a matching pair of bracelets, or even eternity rings. Try something unique, and online options are your best bet.

15th Year – Ruby / Watches – For the 15th anniversary, there are two options which are recommended. The first is a pair of luxury watches, usually with some kind of precious stones studded into them. Some of the internet’s leading online jewelry stores also feature some spectacular bargains on luxury watches. The second choice is rubies. Ruby studded pendants, rings, and necklaces are all the rage this season, and if you can get a pair of watches studded with rubies, that would be the awesome.

20th Year – Platinum / Emerald – Till now, no where have platinum and emerald been featured, and the 20th anniversary is amazingly special. So, this is the perfect combination, and if you can pick out a platinum ring with an emerald studded in, you are sure to make the couple’s day. When you celebrate your 20th anniversary, consider getting this set for your wife, and you will make the day extra special. Online, you can design your own rings, and you can mix and match the metal with the right kind of stone for your occasion.

25th Year – Sterling Silver – Now, this is surprising. This is probably the most affordable gift in the whole list, but then, sterling silver has a special significance. The 25th anniversary, known as the silver jubilee surely deserves the best in silver, and sterling silver is a metal that has a lifetime guarantee on it. Search for the best pieces of designer jewelry online, and you will see why this metal is so elegant and so admired.

30th Year – Pearl and Jade – With the options in designer jewelry that we have today, it is not too difficult to stud jade into the pendant or the necklace. Just be sure that you go in for the best grade of jade – it should be genuinely luminescent green.

40th Year – Ruby – Look up for a BIG stone that is fiery red for this occasion.

50th Year – Gold – Golden jubilee, you see. Very few couples manage to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, and the gift for the occasion is something that cannot be bought with money. Pick up something truly special in pure gold, and ensure that you do not stud it with diamonds. Golden jubilee = only gold.

75th Year – Diamond– That is why it is known as the diamond jubilee. If you manage to witness a diamond jubilee anniversary of a couple, consider yourself very lucky! That couple is among a very select few in the world who manage to reach this momentous milestone, and we don’t have anything to say about choosing a diamond for that occasion!

These gifts are not just for the sake of a gift, but they are steeped in our tradition. Each time we follow the list, we are adding value to our culture, and setting an example for our next generation. 

Article Source: ABC Article Directory


Mel Larson is a professional writer who loves to write about diamond rings, diamond engagement rings, diamond wedding rings and the like that were published on blogs, journals and several magazines. She holds a degree in Journalism and has been in this field for about 3 years.