Jewellery (pronounced /ˈdʒuːəlri/ or /ˈdʒuːələri/) or jewelry (see American and British English spelling differences In the early 18th century, English spelling was not standardized. Differences became noticeable after the publishing of influential dictionaries. Current British English spellings follow, for the most part, those of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language , whereas many American English spellings follow Noah Webster's An American) is a form of personal adornment, manifesting itself as necklaces A necklace is an article of jewellery which is worn around the neck. Necklaces are frequently formed from a metal jewellery chain, often attached to a locket or pendant. Necklaces can also be manufactured with cloth, and they sometimes contain rocks , wood, and/or shells with different shapes and sizes, rings A finger ring is a circular band worn as a type of ornamental jewellery around a finger; it is the most common current meaning of the word ring. Other types of metal bands worn as ornaments are also called rings, such as arm rings and neck rings, brooches A brooch ; also known in ancient times as a fibula; sometimes spelled broach, a homophone meaning both to open a cask and begin a new discussion, is a decorative jewelry item designed to be attached to garments. It is usually made of metal, often silver or gold but sometimes bronze or some other material. Brooches are frequently decorated with, earrings Earrings are jewelry attached to the ear through a piercing in the earlobe or some other external part of the ear . Earrings are worn by both sexes. In western cultures, earrings have traditionally been worn primarily by women, although in recent decades, ear piercing has also become popular among men in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa[ and bracelets A bracelet is an article of jewelry which is worn around the wrist. Bracelets can be manufactured from leather, cloth, hemp, plastic or metal, and sometimes contain rocks, wood, and/or shells. Bracelets are also used for medical and identification purposes, such as allergy bracelets and hospital patient-identification tags. Jewellery may be made from any material, usually gemstones A gemstone or gem is a piece of attractive mineral, which—when cut and polished—is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However certain rocks, (such as lapis lazuli) and organic materials (such as amber or jet) are not minerals, but are still used for jewelry, and are therefore often considered to be gemstones as well. Most gemstones are, precious metals A precious metal is a rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical element of high economic value, which is not radioactive . Chemically, the precious metals are less reactive than most elements, have high lustre, are softer or more ductile, and have higher melting points than other metals. Historically, precious metals were important as currency, or shells A seashell, also known as a sea shell, or simply as a shell, is the common name for a hard, protective outer layer, a shell, or in some cases a "test", that was created by a sea creature, a marine organism. The shell is part of the body of a marine animal. In most cases a shell is an exoskeleton, usually that of an animal without a. Factors affecting the choice of materials include cultural differences and the availability of the materials. Jewellery may be appreciated because of its material properties, its patterns or for meaningful symbols. Jewellery differs from other items of personal adornment in that it besides looking appealing, it often has no other purpose. Items such as belts A belt is a flexible band or strap, typically made of leather or heavy cloth, and worn around the waist. A belt supports trousers or other articles of clothing, and it serves for style and decoration and handbags A handbag or purse in American English, is a medium to large bag, often fashionably designed, typically used by women, and used to hold personal items such as wallet/coins, keys, gloves, cosmetics, a hairbrush, cellular device or personal digital assistant, feminine hygiene products, etc are considered to be accessories Fashion accessories are decorative items that supplement one's garment, such as jewelry, gloves, handbags, hats, belts, scarves, watches, sunglasses, pins, stockings, bow ties, leg warmers, leggings, neckties, suspenders, and tights rather than jewellery.
The word jewellery is derived from the word jewel, which was Anglicised Anglicisation or anglicization is a process of conversion of verbal or written elements of any other language into a more comprehensible English form for an English speaker, or to become English in form or character from the Old French French is a Romance language spoken as a first language by about 136 million people worldwide. Around 190 million people speak French as a second language, and an additional 200 million speak it as an acquired foreign language. French speaking communities are present in 57 countries and territories. Most native speakers of the language live in "jouel" circa the 13th century As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 through 1300 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian/Common Era. In the history of European culture, this period is considered part of the High Middle Ages, and after its conquests in Asia the Mongol Empire stretched from Eastern.[1] Further tracing leads back to the Latin Latin or sometimes Roman is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Although often considered a dead language, in view of the fact that it has no native speakers, a small number of scholars can fluently speak it and it continues to be taught in schools and universities and has been, and currently is, used in the process of word "jocale", meaning plaything. Jewellery is one of the oldest forms of body adornment; recently-found 100,000-year-old beads made from Nassarius Nassarius, common name nassa mud snails or dog whelks (UK), is a genus of minute to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Nassariidae shells are thought to be the oldest known jewellery.[2]
Jewellery is sometimes regarded as a way of storing wealth and might also possess some minimal functionality, such as holding a garment together or keeping hair in place. It has from very early times been regarded as a form of personal adornment. The first pieces of jewellery were made from natural materials A natural material is any product or physical matter that comes from plants, animals, or the ground. Minerals and the metals that can be extracted from them are also considered to belong into this category, such as bone Bones are rigid organs that form part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They function to move, support, and protect the various organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells and store minerals. Bone tissue is a type of dense connective tissue. Because bones come in a variety of shapes and have a complex internal and external structure, animal teeth Teeth are small, calcified, whitish structures found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates that are used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores, also use teeth for hunting or for defensive purposes. The roots of teeth are covered by gums. Teeth are not made of bone, but rather of multiple tissues of varying density and, shell An exoskeleton is an external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to the internal skeleton of, for example, a human. Some animals, such as the tortoise, have both an endoskeleton and an exoskeleton. In popular usage, many of the larger kinds of exoskeletons are known as "shells", wood Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many plants. It has been used for centuries for both fuel and as a construction material for several types of living areas such as houses. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression. In the strict sense wood is produced as and carved stone In geology, rock is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids. Some jewellery throughout the ages may have specifically been as an indication of a social group. More exotic jewellery is often for wealthier people, with its rarity increasing its value. Due to its personal nature and its indication of social class, some cultures established traditions of burying the dead with their jewellery.
Jewellery has been made to adorn nearly every body part, from hairpins Hairpins made of metal, ivory, bronze, carved wood, etc. were used in ancient Assyria and Egypt for securing decorated hairstyles. Such hairpins suggest, as graves show, that many were luxury objects among the Egyptians and later the Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans. Major success came in 1901 with the invention of the spiral hairpin by New Zealand to toe rings A toe ring is a Ring made out of various metals and non-metals worn on any of the toes. Toe rings are worn by women but is becoming more popular with men.[citation needed]. The second toe of either foot is where they are worn most commonly. In most western countries they are a relatively new fashion accessory. There is not a symbolic meaning for and many more types of jewellery. While high-quality jewellery is made with gemstones A gemstone or gem is a piece of attractive mineral, which—when cut and polished—is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However certain rocks, (such as lapis lazuli) and organic materials (such as amber or jet) are not minerals, but are still used for jewelry, and are therefore often considered to be gemstones as well. Most gemstones are and precious metals, such as silver or gold, there is also a growing demand for art jewellery Art jewelry is created with a variety of materials not just precious metals and gems. Art jewelry should be compared to expressions of art in other media such as glass, wood, plastics and clay. Art jewelry however has not yet created such a large following and is a relatively small niche, where jewelry is mostly bought by collectors and museums where design and creativity is prized above material value. In addition, there is the less costly costume jewellery Costume jewelry is the first jewelry (jewellery) manufactured as ornamentation for the masses to complement a particular fashionable garment or "costume". Costume jewelry came into being in the 1930s as a cheap, disposable accessory meant to be worn with a specific outfit. It was intended to be fashionable for a short period of time,, made from lower value materials and mass-produced. Other variations include wire sculpture Wire sculpture refers to the creation of sculpture or jewelry out of wire. The medium was experimented with by Alexander Calder (wrap) jewellery, using anything from base metal wire with rock tumbled stone to precious metals and precious gemstones.
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Form and function
Kenyan The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. Lying along the Indian Ocean to its southeast and at the equator, Kenya is bordered by Somalia to the northeast, Ethiopia to the north, Sudan to the northwest, Uganda to the west and Tanzania to the south. Lake Victoria is to the southwest and is shared between Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Kenya man wearing tribal beadsJewellery has been used for a number of reasons:
- Currency Many items have been used as commodity money such as naturally scarce precious metals, cowry shells, barley, beads etc., as well as many other things that are thought of as having value, wealth display and storage,
- Functional use (such as clasps, pins and buckles)
- Symbolism (to show membership or status)
- Protection (in the form of amulets An amulet , a close cousin of the talisman (Arabic: طلاسم / transliterated: tilasm), consists of any object intended to bring good luck and/or protection to its owner and magical wards),[3]
- Artistic display
Most cultures have at some point had a practice of keeping large amounts of wealth stored in the form of jewellery. Numerous cultures move wedding dowries A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings to her husband in marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both dowry and bride price. Dowry is an ancient in the form of jewellery, or create jewellery as a means to store or display coins. Alternatively, jewellery has been used as a currency or trade good; an example being the use of slave beads Slave beads were otherwise decorative glass beads used between the 16th and 20th century as a currency to exchange for goods, services and slaves (hence the name). Made to ease the passage of European explorers and then traders mainly across the African continents, the beads were made throughout Europe although the Venetians dominated production.[citation needed]
Many items of jewellery, such as brooches A brooch ; also known in ancient times as a fibula; sometimes spelled broach, a homophone meaning both to open a cask and begin a new discussion, is a decorative jewelry item designed to be attached to garments. It is usually made of metal, often silver or gold but sometimes bronze or some other material. Brooches are frequently decorated with and buckles The buckle is a device used for fastening two loose ends, with one end attached to it and the other held by a catch in a secure but adjustable manner. Usually overlooked and taken for granted, the invention of the buckle has been indispensable in securing two ends before the invention of the zipper. The basic buckle frame comes in a variety of originated as purely functional items, but evolved into decorative items as their functional requirement diminished.[4]
Jewellery can also be symbolic of group membership, as in the case of the Christian Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. Christianity comprises three major branches: Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy (the two split from one another in 1054 A.D.), and Protestantism (which came into existence during the Protestant Reformation of the 16 crucifix A crucifix (from Latin cruci fixus meaning " fixed to a cross") is a usually three-dimensional cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus (Latin for "body"), as distinct from a cross with no body. It is a principal symbol for many groups of Christians, and one of the commonest forms of the or Jewish Judaism is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people. Judaism, originating in the Hebrew Bible and explored in later texts such as the Talmud, is considered by Jews to be the expression of the covenantal relationship God developed with the Children of Israel. According to traditional Rabbinic Judaism, God revealed Star of David The Star of David or Shield of David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism, or of status, as in the case of chains of office A livery collar or chain of office is a collar or heavy chain, usually of gold, worn as insignia of office or a mark of fealty or other association in Europe from the Middle Ages onwards, or the Western practice of married Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found. Such a union, often formalized via a wedding ceremony, may also be called people wearing a wedding ring A wedding ring or wedding band is a metal ring indicating the wearer is married. Depending on the local culture, it is worn on the base of the right or the left ring finger. The custom of wearing such a ring has spread widely beyond its origin in Europe.
Wearing of amulets An amulet , a close cousin of the talisman (Arabic: طلاسم / transliterated: tilasm), consists of any object intended to bring good luck and/or protection to its owner and devotional medals In the Roman Catholic Faith, a devotional medal is a medal issued for religious devotion. They are also sometimes used by adherents of the Orthodox and Anglican Churches to provide protection or ward off evil is common in some cultures Culture is a term that has various meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions. However, the word "culture" is most commonly used in three basic senses:; these may take the form of symbols (such as the ankh The Ankh, also known as key of life, the key of the Nile or crux ansata, was the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic character that read "eternal life", a triliteral sign for the consonants ˁ-n-ḫ. Egyptian gods are often portrayed carrying it by its loop, or bearing one in each hand, arms crossed over their chest), stones, plants, animals, body parts (such as the Khamsa The hamsa is a palm-shaped amulet popular throughout the Middle East and North Africa. The hamsa is often incorporated in jewelry and wall hangings, as a defense against the evil eye. It is believed to originate in ancient practices associated with the Phoenicians of Carthage), or glyphs A glyph is an element of writing. It is a vague term, but a more precise definition might be an individual mark on paper or another written medium that contributes to the meaning of what is written there. A grapheme is made up of one or more glyphs (such as stylized versions of the Throne Verse The Throne Verse , is 255th verse (ayah) of the second chapter (sura) Al-Baqara. It is one of the most famous verses of the Qu'ran and is widely memorized and displayed in the Islamic world due to its emphatic description of God's qualities and power in Islamic art).[5]
Although artistic display has clearly been a function of jewellery from the very beginning, the other roles described above tended to take primacy.[citation needed] It was only in the late 19th century, with the work of such masters as Peter Carl Fabergé and René Lalique, that art began to take primacy over function and wealth.[citation needed] This trend has continued into modern times, expanded upon by artists such as Robert Lee Morris, Ed Levin, and Alberto Repossi.
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Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:06:12 GMT+00:00
that 'tainted' British Museum shop Telegraph.co.uk A contemporary jewellery designer's works that were selling like hot cakes at the British Museum shop have been banned from sale there because they ...
Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:25:32 PDT
We catch up with The Twang as they release their latest single 'Barney Rubble' - taken from their second album 'Jewellery Quarter' ... youtube.com.
