A History Of Handmade Jewellery

In prehistoric times shells, animals teeth and other found objects were used to adorn the body. About 5000 years ago civilisations started to view it in a more serious light and in countries including Egypt, China and America the wearing of jewellery gradually became a sign of rank. This rank varied from social status; due to the expense of the jewellery, through to religious importance. The materials used

to make jewellery had switched from free natural objects which were found in abundance to rare raw materials which were expensive to mine and required a high level of skill to be turned in to handmade jewellery. Because of this by the seventeenth century the main purpose of jewellery was once again adornment of the body but this decorative function was now only available to a small portion of the populations; the very rich. Precious metals such as platinum and gold and rare gemstones including emeralds, diamonds and rubies were considered highly important in jewellery making.

In fact the more difficult and expensive an item was to obtain and work with, the more beautiful it was considered. Of course the jewellery that was crafted out of these materials was absolutely stunning but this was due as much to the incredible skills and individual touches from the craftsmen as it was to the nature of the materials themselves. Handmade jewellery has a quality which brings a status and importance of its own. The market for jewellery became so large that it5 was not long before the idea of fake peals and gems was put in to action. As early as the 1670s jewellery made up of a compound of glass with white lead oxide and potash known as paste was becoming popular. This jewellery was worn in the day and often in court and it made it fashionable to wear ‘pearl’ jewellery in abundance. Around the Victorian era and with the Industrial Revolution manufacturing processes were created to mass produce jewellery. Of course this had significant effect on the cost of producing jewellery and it became available to the majority of the population. With this the significance of jewellery as a status symbol was greatly reduced and it became much more of a fashion accessory. The beauty and quality of the jewellery also became greatly reduced as the mass production took away almost all of the character of handmade jewellery.

Modern jewellery is still very much a fashion accessory and in a world where it is more and more acceptable to be ‘different’, jewellery can be very personal and also a fun and creative way of expressing yourself. Great changes in technology have meant that jewellery can be more ornate, elaborate and sophisticated at a low cost. But in a world of mass production I believe that handmade jewellery has never been more important. It can be a very precious object that has been lovingly and individually created and whether it is made from pure gold or recycled plastic it has all of the character and personality that the mass- produced objects lack.

By: James English