Since man moved out of their caves women have been adorning themselves with items in order to make themselves more attractive. The term 'Jewellery' has developed from an early Latin word for a plaything; 'jocale'. The word developed into the French word 'jouel' around the 13th Century. But the history of jewellery dates back hundreds of thousands of years. Archaeologists have found beads made from shells that date back one hundred thousand years and these are said to be the oldest form of Jewellery.



In these early times it is suggested that jewellery was

not solely for adornment but also was used as a form of commodity. Jewellery was created as a way of storing wealth and items were also produced to pin together clothes.

Jewellery has been created to dress every single part of the body. Jewellery has been used over the years for a number of different purposes. Jewellery has been used as; an item of currency; an item for functional use such as pins, clasps and buckets; a method of showing status or membership of a group; an item that protects from spirits; and an item of artistic display. All of these different uses are still in use but nevertheless the most popular of these uses is as decoration.

Archaeologists and historians have discovered a wealth of information about Jewellery and as a result the history of Jewellery is extremely well informed. Jewellery has had a vast range of different uses over time and different cultures have used jewellery in different ways. As a result it offers us an interesting insight into different cultures and different times. The use of jewellery has endured for many thousands of years and the diversity in uses of jewellery tells us a great deal about the time and culture of the societies which used jewellery.

Jewellery is so old that it has been found alongside dinosaur bones. In Russia bracelets were found that were made out of the tusks of a mammoth and crude necklaces made of animal sinew adorned with pieces of bone or teeth and many of these ancient forms of jewellery included the use of shells. Copper jewellery has been found that dates back to a much more recent, yet nevertheless ancient, seven thousand years ago.

There is a great deal of evidence of Jewellery from the Ancient Egyptian time period. Expected to date back as far as 5000 years ago the Jewellery created by the Egyptians often comprised of gold which was treasured for its properties of rarity and luxury. Gold was relatively easy to work into desirable functions and as a result became very popular.

The role of jewellery developed further in the Middle East 4000 years ago. The jewellery maker in these times and in these cultures produced jewellery that incorporated a great deal of gold and precious stones.

This type of jewellery was most reminiscent of the types of jewellery that we have today. The jewellery makers produced magnificent artefacts including the tight fitting collar necklace and pins that were adorned with precious stones. It was also around this time that amulets and ankle bracelets were very popular. These jewel makers were meticulous in their techniques and really developed the standards of jewel making.