A Jewel Accoutrement

The jewelry of various forms and kinds has been used since
long, around 3,000-5,000 years before. They have been used for a
number of purposes like, largely for the adornment of body and
no less than that as an amulet. Throughout history it can be
seen that jewels were considered to be one of the greatest
protections against supernatural evil and to welcome bless and
prosperity in life. Jewelry was also used to distinguish
different castes in a particular community.

The ostentatious display of jewelry and fashion was actually
evolved by Napoleon; the Emperor of France who rejuvenated this
notion as new incites of spectacle. Today, the purposes have not
been changed utterly except that usage as a social tag in that
sense. Even today jewelry effectively compliments the simplest
of one`s outfits to give an overall complete appearance. From
hair pin to toe ring, it embellishes the entire part of the
body.

At primitive ages, people used to make jewelry with natural
objects like stones, sea shells, teeth and bones of animals and
etc. Later on, comparatively shiny objects were taken to add a
little elegance and glamour to them.

Artistic innovation and creative reflection over the designs of
stones and beads and other precious glittering objects have made
the jewelry more striking and obligatory material to every
individual since long before. In spite of the massive variations
in novelty and modernization of designs, the jewels
traditionally are placed into precious metals or metal alloys
like, sliver, bronze, gold, platinum palladium etc.

From the historic era, gold was the best chosen metal for
making ornaments and jewelry because of its malleable
characteristic and everlasting glitter. History says it was the
Egyptians who first used gold as a metal of ornament and also as
a symbol of their economic status and social standing. The
wonderful accessories like collars, head ornaments, earrings,
necklaces, pendants and etc., were worn by the pharaohs.

According to experts, gold is too soft a metal to be used in
its pure form and hence, in its alloy karat is used as a unit to
determine the amount of gold present, and the K letter
represents the word Karat. The 10K purity states 41.7% pure
gold, 18K states 75% purity, 24K states 99.9% purity and so on.
With the improvement of metallurgy various alloys of precious
metals are coming out. One of which one is white gold, an alloy
of gold and palladium or nickel like white metal, which is being
used intensively by modern designers to mould rings, bangles or
chains.

The gemstones can be classified into precious and semi-precious
stones according to their availability and excellence of
splendor. The diamonds, sapphires, opals, ruby, spinels, topaz,
emeralds and pearls are considered to be the most precious
stones till today.

During historical ages both the men and women used to ornament
themselves with heavy jeweleries. The upper class women used to
have parures, which were actually elegant suits with precious
gems which could include a diadem, a necklace, a pair of
bracelets, a comb and pins, a tiara, rings, earrings or even a
belt clasp. These possessions were mark of grace and
sophistication. The extensive use of pearls and diamonds in
early 1900s bewilder even today`s designers and patrons. Queen
Alexandra made and wore a high neck collar choker, called the
`collier de chien` to hide the scar on her neck.

Later on, from 1940s or 1950s, the great influence of movies
and TV shows and largely the prominence and glamour of actors
and actresses started working on the general minds, and a
gradual modernization of jewelry was gladly accepted by the
generations for their dynamic creative and affordable fine
designs.

The comparatively cheaper materials of jewelry, like sea
shells, clay or imitation metals and colored stones attract
mostly the young minds, giving a trendy dimension to their dress
code and the lighter form of precious jewelry, thus mostly
meeting the modern fashion statements.


About The Author: This article can be accessed in portuguese
language from the Article section of page
http://www.polomercantil.com.br/joias.php ,
http://www.polomercantil.com.br/bijuterias.php Roberto Sedycias
works as IT consultant for PoloMercantil.