Historical Periods
Before discussing to what extent History has been the heart of creation, I would like to explore the historical periods which have lead to the evolution of jewelry.
Antiquity
The ancient Egypt, Roman and Greek civilization enjoyed jewelry. Most of the late antique jewelry which we see in the art market today seems to have been found in Egypt. In today’s world, the value of a piece of jewel is for the precious gemstones, pearls, for the craftmanship, for the grandeur and for the intricate setting. However, in the past, the period before Renaissance, during the antiquity this was not the case. Diamonds and other gemstones like rubies, sapphires and emeralds were extremely rare. The peals, the precious and the semiprecious stones didn’t undergo the magnificent craftsmanship. They were usually left rough and if cut they were left in a smooth round form. Ancient Jewelry is mainly cherished for its gold to a large extent. The discovery of Greek and Roman gold coins, gold jewelry, gold statues and gold vessels show how much value the ancient civilizations have placed on this metal. Not to forget that even silver played a minor role, however was of much lesser use due to its
…show more content…
They ancient Egyptians would use Jewelry almost every day and considered it to be an important part of both their life and culture. Egyptian Gods and Goddesses were dressed in jewels in order to honor them. After a point, Jewelry became such an important facet of their life that they even used paintings and carvings of jewelry in order to decorate and adorn their houses. Their love for jewels, made them very serious and outstanding craftsmen at that time and they made their own jewelry and were also very proud to wear and show how it felt. Jewelry making, and gold played an important role in the history of Egypt. Jewelry was worn on many places and almost for all
Jewelry has been worn by people in almost every civilization around the globe in every century. These accessories can often tell a lot about a civilization. One can especially compare the jewelry of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome to get an accurate idea of the time period and how people's customs evolved within that area and that time. Jewelry in ancient times were very similar in that they were often made of identical materials, showed status of the people living within a society and the sophistication of the civilization itself; however, the way the jewelry was produced and complexity of the design changed with time.
Ancient Greek sculpture is celebrated for its ground-breaking representation of the human figure. Nevertheless, this prominent artistic established practice did not just emerge fully developed. Ancient Greek sculpture is generally branched in the various stages of progression: the three fundamental stages are the archaic, classical, and Hellenistic periods. It is also worth noting that there is an earlier phase referred to as the Geometric Period in which the characteristics that would come to define ancient Greek sculpture were starting to take shape.
First, new materials like metal clay, polymer clay, natural clay, ivory, bones, shells, wood, enamel, plastics and glass are being used. Second, some developments have taken place, improving the quality of artificial stones and making jewelry available to larger population segments from an economic point of view. Furthermore, the influence from other cultures and artistic forms is also changing the traditional jewelry. According to several publications, at the end of the 20th century a mix between Oriental and European techniques has been taking place. A case in point is Hawaiian jewelry which is highly fashionable and is enjoying of an increasing popularity during the last decades.
Egypt was one of the first River Valley Civilizations. In Egypt there were big advances in art, math and science and also pottery. We still use the same number system and they even had fractions back in that time. During the Old Kingdom times the pyramids were built. The pyramids were tombs for the pharaohs of Egypt. These pyramids are one of the most popular historical sites in the world.
Stepping into a museum, large or small, locating in east or west countries, as long as it exhibits ancient Asian artworks, one can hardly not find bronzes placed in the most prominent spot, shone by a beam of cold white light. Bronze Age is not as lackluster or icy-cold as this dark metallic alloy shown to us ostensibly; instead, it was full of creativity and innovation. It is amazing but not surprising that ancient Chinese are considered one of the most intelligent group of human-being, produced such remarkable amount of artifacts to either use in their daily life as necessities or decorations, or sacrifice their ancestors, or record important events. This paper will provide a specific description of two bronze vessels respectively from Shang and Zhou dynasties, giving interpretations of their production process and their roles in ritual performance.
Gold was extremely valued by the Ancient Egyptians. It symbolised the halo of the god and this was identified to be very significant because gold was known as the symbol of immortal life. People of social or religious consequence were often hidden in ornament inlaid with or create of solid gold. Gold was also especially popular during the Roman history. When the metropolises and culture started to develop, Rome called out brilliant experts who could make a wide spectrum of jewellery such as rings, necklaces, circlets and earrings. Recent history scholars trust that the convention of wearing a ring to represent a commitment appeared from the Roman generation. Over time the Romans stretched the application of gold beyond jewellery and it started to make ornaments and other everyday objects of the upper class. The existence of many gold in the house was a symbol of power and wealth.
Pearls, opals, antique jewelry AND silly costume jewelry – jangly bracelets, hoop ear rings and outsize cocktail rings.
The most common style were the long pearl necklaces in all 1920s jewelry pieces, it was very popular to wear layers of them with 60 inches long. Any women could afford them because of the fake pearls and they were usually light pastel colors instead of plain white. Also the Dog collar necklace was one of the most common necklaces, there was different designs like triangle, square, trapezoid, or pointed oval stones, most recognized as chokers because of how low it was from the neck. Similar, Drop Earring were equally important since women wore short hair, it was necessary to have an accessory to expose and draw attention to the naked neck. Normally it was 2-3 inches long accompanied with a diamond. However, earrings with diamond were usually worn for formal events representing good wealth. Additionally, bracelets also were an item decorative to cover the arm with fully bangles to make it more attractive and fashionable. Most bangles are made from bold colors or are decorated with numerous types of repeating motifs. The bracelet’s design were made of thick or thin wood, bone, shell, metal, or plastic. Last but not least, rings were the style of the day, decorated by a myriad of gemstones. Many rings took on Art Deco shapes but the most popular Art Nouveau style of precious stones like diamonds. They often centered a colored stone or a large emerald diamond in which people
The exquisite artifacts made of gold, carved out of hard stone or formed from glass might make us forget that the Egyptians lived with clay and not the expensive alternatives found in royal tombs. They lived in it, drank from it, cooked in it, ate on it, carried liquids in it, played with it, and when they died, the only offerings of any permanence most could afford were made from it.
In ancient Egypt, people wore lightweight and loose clothing, because there was little rainfall and because of the heat. The women wore full length dresses, called the Kalasiris, it was with either one shoulder strap or no shoulder strap, the priests wore leather, and the children didn’t have to wear anything until they were six years old, slaves worked naked otherwise they wore tunic dresses, which was made out linen. Most of the clothing people wore in ancient Egypt was made of linen, which was made out of fibers from flax plants. People who were really wealthy would have jewelry on their clothing. People walked with either slippers, sandals or barefoot. Ancient Egyptians wore jewelry like the amulet, and they put on makeup to honor the gods.
Ancient Egypt was a very important time in our time period. They had their own way of life. Egyptians had their own writing, burials, government, religion, cooking, and games. They were educated people with many talents. They were good with their hands and brains. Ancient Egyptians were a magnificent race of people.
Like the Mesopotamians, the Egyptians also believed in god and goddesses and was one of the first to develop their unique writing system called hieroglyphics. Egyptian’s also were the first to construct triangular pyramids with magnificent tombs to bury their dead pharaohs and queens. These pyramids were very comparable to the ziggurats built by the Mesopotamians. The Egyptians unlocked more access when they started using papyrus to make paper in order to communicate. They also inven...
I have chosen to talk about precious gemstones and crystals. There are many people now and days rediscovering the many uses of gemstones and crystals. To my knowledge each, have many different uses. They can be used as adornments, for health, for healing and for spiritual practices. You have probably never even heard of stones or crystals in this fashion before. I am going to take this opportunity to tell you what I know about this fascinating world that I have grown very accustomed to. I am not a gemstone/crystal specialist but, I do know enough about this topic to give you a slight overview about this topic.
The gold that was used to make jewelry in Egyptian times was not scarce like it is in present day. Mines between the Nile River and Red Sea coast yielded large quantities of this precious metal. They also imported precious stones from the Sinai Peninsula and even Afghanistan. The Egyptians, however, had no knowledge of the gemstones and jewels we have today, such as diamonds, emeralds, and rubies.
The ancient Egyptians were people of many firsts. They were the first people of ancient times to believe in life after death. They were the first to build in stone and to fashion the arch in stone and brick. Even before the unification of the Two Lands, the Egyptians had developed a plow and a system of writing. They were accomplished sailors and shipbuilders. They learned to chart the cosmos in order to predict the Nile flood. Their physicians prescribed healing remedies and performed surgical operations. They sculpted in stone and decorated the walls of their tombs with naturalistic murals in vibrant colors. The legacy of ancient Egypt is written in stone across the face of the country from the pyramids of Upper Egypt to the rock tombs in the Valley of the Kings to the Old Kingdom temples of Luxor and Karnak to the Ptolemaic temples of Edfu and Dendera and to the Roma...