Why do people wear jewelry?
As far as we know, people have been wearing jewelry for as long as there have been people! So why are they doing it? Actually there are several reasons. That's probably why it's so universal.
Jewelry (American (jewelry) and British English (jewelry) spellings are different) is a personal piece of jewelry, such as a necklace, ring, brooch or bracelet, that is worn by a person. It is usually made of some type of precious metal, but it can be made of any other material and can be valued for geometric, symbolic, artistic or other reasons.
Probably the first thing that comes to mind when you consider why people wear jewelry is related to wealth. Jewelry has been the primary means of displaying financial wealth in many societies and cultures. Most of these cultures have at some point had a habit of storing large amounts of wealth in the form of jewelry, so jewelry has become a way of storing wealth and it becomes a form of currency. Even today, many cultures exploit jewelry in wedding rituals and dowries, either symbolically or factually as a form of wealth transfer. Jewelry has also been used as a means of payment to trade goods.
But not everything revolves around money. Many pieces of jewelry, such as brooches, brooches, pins and buckles, originated as purely functional items, but later became decorative items as clothing evolved and the functional need for support of clothing declined.
Jewelry can also be worn primarily for symbolic purposes: to show group membership, such as when using the Christian crucifix or Jewish Star of David, or status, as when using office necklaces, or the mostly Western practice of being married. people wearing a wedding ring. In different periods of history and in different parts of the world, different components and forms have taken on different meanings. For example, in Victorian times, a snake became “eternity” when Prince Albert gave Queen Victoria a snake-shaped engagement ring. So while today we see a beautiful piece of jewelry as strange, decorative, interesting or valuable, the original owner may have seen a hundred and fifty years ago that the same piece of jewelry had a very different and deeper meaning.
In the past, and in some cases in the present, though perhaps to a much lesser extent, jewelry can be seen as protective powers, such as amulets and magical wards. The use of devotional charms and medals to provide protection or ward off evil is common in some cultures; these may take the form of symbols (such as the ankh), stones, plants, animals, body parts (such as the Khamsa), or symbols such as stylized versions of the Throne verse in Islamic art.
While artistic rendering was clearly a function of jewelry from the start, the other roles described above tended to take precedence. In more recent times, however, there has been a general trend towards wearing jewelry that is more generally about showing taste, style and fashion awareness. This trend probably started in the late 19th century, with the work of masters such as Peter Carl Fabergé and René Lalique, and art began to take precedence over function and wealth. This trend continues into the modern age, expanded by artists such as Robert Lee Morris and Ed Levin.
In the beginning, the first jewelry was made with natural materials, such as bone, animal teeth, shell, wood and carved stone. As time went on, more jewelry was likely made from rarer or more exotic materials for wealthier people as indicators of social status. In these cases, more robust and durable materials such as metal and gemstones were generally used, culminating in more modern times using the hardest and most durable natural material of all: diamond.
Jewelry is made to adorn almost every part of the body, from hairpins to toe rings and many more types of jewelry. While today's high-quality jewelry is made from precious stones and precious metals such as silver or gold, there is also a growing demand for artistic jewelry that values design and creativity over value. In addition, there is also a strong movement towards cheaper costume jewelry, made from lower value materials and mass-produced. This offers the opportunity to wear jewelry that matches a certain outfit or even use disposable items for a unique occasion.
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