Jewelry - Ever Present In Our Lives

Stone Age paintings show the folk of that time wearing adornments around their necks and wrists. Although they will probably have had some deeper meaning, this is the first evidence we have of what we now know as jewellery. The ancient Egyptians are who we have to thank mostly for the ornamentations which we wear to day. They were famous for their gold ornaments which were worn everywhere on the body where there was a spare piece of skin.

Nowadays, there is jewelry available for every part of the body. The growth in popularity in body piercing has brought about the inception of jewelry for parts of the body that a few years ago would have been unthinkable. Nipples, belly buttons and even penis` now have their own ranges of jewelry available, if you have the appropriate piercing. When you think at one time you were though of as a witch or a gypsy if you had your ears pierced, attitudes have certainly changed!

For most of us, however, we have the traditional jewelry; ring, necklaces, bracelets, earrings etc. As jewelry is a traditional christening gift, many of us grow up wearing it and it is just second nature. Some don`t really take an interest until they are a bit older, I personally didn`t really take much notice of jewelry until I got my ears pierced for my 9th birthday.

There are certain items that are worn for religious reasons as opposed to just decoration. Many Catholics wear a crucifix or a set or rosary beads, and may have received their first ones at their confirmation. Young women who are Hindu or Muslim will be seen wearing nose rings from an early age. Those of the Jewish faith can often be seen wearing a piece of jewelry bearing the Cross the David. Many who aren`t of these religions can be seen with these adornments, simply because they like them. As this is the main reason that we wear jewelry in the first place, it makes sense if you thing about it.

There are certain pieces of jewelry which become heirlooms and are passed down through generation. One of the most popular pieces for this is the charm bracelet. There are many of these which date form the Victorian era, where ornate and valuable charms have been added to a bracelet to symbolize marriages, births, deaths etc. There has been a recent resurgence in these bracelets, so generation to come are going to benefit from the charms that are being added now.

Even for those to don`t like wearing jewelry, a wedding ring is both attractive and symbolic. Whether it`s a cheap silver band or a diamond encrusted affair, the meaning behind it makes it all the more special. Except, perhaps, to those who don`t take the sanctimony of marriage all that seriously and have built up quite a collection of these!

Whether you love Gold, Silver, Platinum or something more contemporary such as wood, jewelry remains the most popular item that we would both give as a gift and buy ourselves.