Many people have taken part in jewellery making for hundreds of years. Even in early civilisation, rudimentary pieces of jewellery were being crafted from the bones of animals. At this time these animal bones were utilised to create natural beads and pendants. These pieces of jewellery were worn by those considered to be in the highest positions of authority at the time.
Jewellery was worn to display leadership, as well as a signifier of spirituality in these early years. Even though many advances have been made, many of the same spiritual qualities can be found in the jewellery we see worn today. In the modern age we wear jewellery and practice jewellery making simply for style that it can bring to our looks.
But it is good to take a look back at how jewellery making first came into existence and understand how jewellery making - as an art form - has evolved over time.
In ancient Egyptian times gold was widely used by those who took part in jewellery making. Although it was a rare form of metal, gold was used in jewellery making because it was easy to work with and it didn't tarnish. There are many examples of beautiful pendants, bracelets, earrings and rings, head ornaments and other accessories that were made from gold by the ancient Egyptians. Many of these pieces can be seen on display in museums across the globe.
The world was introduced to some of these remarkable examples of ancient Egyptian jewellery - and the jewellery making skills used in their creation - when the tomb of Tutankhamen was discovered back in 1922. This find yielded many fine gold artifacts.
As well as being popular with the ancient Egyptians, gold was also a widely used jewellery making material in ancient Greece too. Beads were created with gold, as well as with shells, beetles and flowers. Each of these items was used considerably in jewellery making by the ancient Greeks.
Later examples of Greek necklaces and earrings were created made out of beautiful precious stones. A wide range of jewellery making materials, including garnets, pearls, amethysts and emeralds were also adopted. Many of these wonderful pieces have been discovered, featuring detailed carved cameo pendants and colourful agate stones, these pieces are absolutely breath taking.
Precious and semi-precious stones have always played a huge role in jewellery making; whilst there are countless pieces of ancient jewellery containing these fine materials there are also many pieces that were made with fake gemstones as well. These glass imitations - of the real gemstones - were often used to help accent royal robes and children's jewellery sets. Pearls were also commonly used in ancient times in jewellery making just as they are today. There were also imitation glass and pearl accents that were designed to imitate the appearance of the real thing but without the huge cost. As early as the 1300s false pearls were being made with white powered glass. This white powdered glass was mixed with a number of ingredients - such as egg whites - to produce an end product that was as realistic as possible.
History has shown that there have been many fine examples of jewellery making. This article examines some of the techniques and materials used to produce these pieces.