When we think about handmade jewellery we think about the lovely pieces that we use as accessories to add style and a touch of fashion. We now think of these beautiful adornments as being common place but this has not always been so.
The history behind these lovely pieces of handmade jewellery is very interesting and very varied and history has proved to us that it was not only one culture or country that created these pieces of adornment but each and every culture over the centuries has had its own style and designs and sometimes believes behind their own pieces of handmade jewellery.
The early attempts to create jewellery was first made over 40,000 years ago and they would us whatever nature would be able to give them like feathers, shells, wood, bones and pebbles to create primitive designs but this was the beginning of man starting to adorn himself with pieces of handmade jewellery.
The ancient Egyptians look to be the first civilisation that started to create handmade jewellery into specific forms like earrings, bracelets, necklaces and pendants and they were the pioneers in using precious metals and gemstones to create these unique and original jewellery designs. These pieces of gold and precious gemstone jewellery were worn to show the power and the status of the wearer and these precious jewellery designs also started to take on symbolism and they were worn as protection against evil and bad spirits.
The Persians around this time also started a fascination with handmade jewellery and they looked to nature for the inspiration for their unique and unusual designs and you see evidence of this is the earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings and necklaces that have been found and the designs on these are things like grapes, leaves, vines spirals and they mastered the find art of creating unique filigree jewellery.
The Romans were very fond of their handmade jewellery and many of their pieces were practical as well as being ornamental and the brooch was one of the most popular pieces as it was used as a fastener to help secure there long and flowing garments. They used the precious metal gold in many of their designs but they also used other metals like bronze and used glass and beads to add designs and colour. Because there kingdom was at this point over half of the world they had a never ending source of precious metals and gemstones.
The word jewellery comes from the French word joule and this covered all the items that you will find in collections of handmade jewellery like bracelets, rings, pendants, necklaces, earrings and jewellery sets. In the early days these adornments were very expensive and these were not only worn to add beauty but were worn to show status and wealth and you would see both men and women wearing these expensive pieces. The more jewellery that was worn the higher was your social standing and these pieces of handmade jewellery were also used as a form of currency and investment as the pieces would rise in value with the rise in value of the precious metals and gemstones rose in value.
Today we see pieces of handmade jewellery everywhere made from many different materials and available at prices that we can all afford. These bracelets, earrings, necklaces, pendants and rings are worn a daily basis and not saved only to be worn on special occasions. Gone are the days when they would be worn by the rich and powerful would wear these designs to show off their wealth and status and today we use these beautiful adornments as fashion accessories and to add style and glamour to our outfits.
In this collection of unique handmade jewellery available at Jade Jewellery UK you will see many individual crafted necklaces, earrings, pendants, rings and bead bracelets that have all been handcrafted in the UK. Also among these pieces you will find matching sets of jewellery seen here
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