1.CHAINS
This article is about decorative wear. For the Korean band, see
Jewelry (band).
Amber pendants
2.PENDANTS
Diamond temptation design
Jewellery or
jewelry[1] (
) consists of small decorative items worn for personal
adornment, such as
brooches,
rings,
necklaces,
earrings, and
Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes, and the term is
restricted to durable ornaments, excluding flowers for example. For many
centuries metal, often combined with
gemstones,
has been the normal material for jewellery, but other materials such as
shells and other plant materials may be used. It is one of the oldest
type of
archaeological artefact – with 100,000-year-old beads made from
Nassarius shells thought to be the oldest known jewellery.
[2]
The basic forms of jewellery vary between cultures but are often
extremely long-lived; in European cultures the most common forms of
jewellery listed above have persisted since ancient times, while other
forms such as adornments for the nose or ankle, important in other
cultures, are much less common. Historically, the most widespread
influence on jewellery in terms of design and style have come from Asia.
3.RINGS
Jewellery may be made from a wide range of materials.
Gemstones and similar materials such as
amber and
coral,
precious metals,
beads, and
shells have been widely used, and
enamel
has often been important. In most cultures jewellery can be understood
as a status symbol, for its material properties, its patterns, or for
meaningful symbols. Jewellery has been made to adorn nearly every body
part, from
hairpins to
toe rings, and even
genital jewellery.
The patterns of wearing jewellery between the sexes, and by children
and older people can vary greatly between cultures, but adult women have
been the most consistent wearers of jewellery; in modern European
culture the amount worn by adult males is relatively low compared with
other cultures and other periods in European culture.
The word
jewellery itself is derived from the word
jewel, which was
anglicized from the
Old French "
jouel",
[3] and beyond that, to the
Latin word "
jocale", meaning plaything. In
British English,
New Zealand English,
Hiberno-English,
Australian English, and
South African English it is spelled
jewellery, while the spelling is
jewelry in
American English.
[1] Both are used in
Canadian English, though
jewelry prevails by a two to one margin. In French and a few other European languages the equivalent term,
joaillerie there, may also cover decorated metalwork in precious metal such as
objets d'art and church items, not just objects worn on the person
Jewellery DESIGNERS
