Jewelry

The designer uses a specific combination of metals and stones to create her unique, vintage-inspired jewelry. In North America, Native Americans used shells, wood, turquoise, and soapstone, almost unavailable in South and Central America. The turquoise was used in necklaces and to be placed in earrings.

These may be made of glass, gemstones, metal, wood, shells, clay and polymer clay. Beaded jewellery commonly encompasses necklaces, bracelets, earrings, belts and rings. Beads may be large or small; the smallest type of beads used are known as seed beads, these are the beads used for the "woven" style of beaded jewellery.

Pieces are sophisticated in their design, and feature inlays of turquoise, mother of pearl, spondylus shell, and amethyst. The nose and ear ornaments, chest plates, small containers and whistles are considered masterpieces of ancient Peruvian culture. Egyptian designs were most common in Phoenician jewellery. Also, ancient Turkish designs found in Persian jewellery suggest that trade between the Middle East and Europe was not uncommon.

Thus many tribal designs were lost forever in the mass conversion to Christianity. Jewellery had great status with India's royalty; it was so powerful that they established laws, limiting wearing of jewellery to royalty. Only royalty and a few others to whom they granted permission could wear gold ornaments on their feet.

The jewellery was often supposed to give the wearer protection from the "Evil Eye" or endowed the owner with supernatural powers, while others had a religious symbolism. Older pieces of jewellery that have been found were dedicated to the Gods. In these beguiling earrings, hand-set blue jewlery and green turquoise encircles our sterling silver hoops, punctuated by gleaming sterling balls. Our sleek 18kt gold-plated pendant necklace hosts a straightforward expression of your astrological birth sign in sparking white topaz. 18kt gold-plated ball chain and spring ring clasp.

However coiling fine strands of metal results in Andean filigree jewelry. Balinese artistry applies polished spirals and tendrils as well as tiny globes known as jawan to sleek silver jewelry. And a few contemporary artisans even weave or crochet the slender silver strands.Jade was highly prized by the Maya and still has an important place in modern Guatemalan jewelry. Amber from the rich mines in southern Mexico adorns the women's bracelets, necklaces, and earrings of the area.

Seed beads are also used in an embroidery technique where they are sewn onto fabric backings to create broad collar neck pieces and beaded bracelets. Bead embroidery, a popular type of handwork during the Victorian era, is enjoying a renaissance in modern jewellery making. Beading, or beadwork, is also very popular in many African and indigenous North American cultures. From wedding rings to religious symbols, men's rings have carried tremendous significance throughout history. In West Africa, rings were originally used to represent God's unmatched power and the authority of mankind on earth. In India, handcrafted rings have been used to symbolize everything from devotion and fidelity to eternity and belief in a deity.

In Peru, the ancient technique of handmade goldsmithing continues in the work of filigree, the art of weaving silver threads together. Originally brought to the Andes during the colonial period, filigree acquired local nuances and incorporated designs inspired by nature and daily life. In Bali, handmade jewelry makes use of a method called repouss, a decorative, detail-oriented artform that uses hammers and punches to raise metal in relief from the background of the ring.

However, in earlier times, the Maya had little access to metal, so they made the majority of their jewellery out of bone or stone. Merchants and nobility were the only few that wore expensive jewellery in the Maya region, much the same as with the Aztecs. In China, the most uncommon piece of jewellery is the earring, which was worn neither by men nor women. Amulets were common, often with a Chinese symbol or dragon. Dragons, Chinese symbols, and phoenixes were frequently depicted on jewellery designs.

Large amounts of gold was easily accessible, and the Aztecs, Mixtecs, Mayans, and numerous Andean cultures, such as the Mochica of Peru, created beautiful pieces of jewellery. The oldest gold jewelry in the world is dating from 4,600 BC to 4,200 BC and was discovered in Europe, at the site of Varna Necropolis, near the Black Sea coast in Bulgaria. However, Varna gold is most often called the oldest since this treasure is the largest and most diverse. Cultural dictates have also played a significant role. For example, the wearing of earrings by Western men was considered effeminate in the 19th century and early 20th century. More recently, the display of body jewellery, such as piercings, has become a mark of acceptance or seen as a badge of courage within some groups but is completely rejected in others.