A Jewel Accoutrement

The jewelry of various forms and kinds has been used since long, around 3,000-5,000 years before. They have been used for a number of purposes like, largely for the adornment of body and no less than that as an amulet. Throughout history it can be seen that jewels were considered to be one of the greatest protections against supernatural evil and to welcome bless and prosperity in life. Jewelry was also used to distinguish different castes in a particular community.

The ostentatious display of jewelry and fashion was actually evolved by Napoleon; the Emperor of France who rejuvenated this notion as new incites of spectacle. Today, the purposes have not been changed utterly except that usage as a social tag in that sense. Even today jewelry effectively compliments the simplest of one`s outfits to give an overall complete appearance. From hair pin to toe ring, it embellishes the entire part of the body.

At primitive ages, people used to make jewelry with natural objects like stones, sea shells, teeth and bones of animals and etc. Later on, comparatively shiny objects were taken to add a little elegance and glamour to them.

Artistic innovation and creative reflection over the designs of stones and beads and other precious glittering objects have made the jewelry more striking and obligatory material to every individual since long before. In spite of the massive variations in novelty and modernization of designs, the jewels traditionally are placed into precious metals or metal alloys like, sliver, bronze, gold, platinum palladium etc.

From the historic era, gold was the best chosen metal for making ornaments and jewelry because of its malleable characteristic and everlasting glitter. History says it was the Egyptians who first used gold as a metal of ornament and also as a symbol of their economic status and social standing. The wonderful accessories like collars, head ornaments, earrings, necklaces, pendants and etc., were worn by the pharaohs.

According to experts, gold is too soft a metal to be used in its pure form and hence, in its alloy karat is used as a unit to determine the amount of gold present, and the K letter represents the word Karat. The 10K purity states 41.7% pure gold, 18K states 75% purity, 24K states 99.9% purity and so on. With the improvement of metallurgy various alloys of precious metals are coming out. One of which one is white gold, an alloy of gold and palladium or nickel like white metal, which is being used intensively by modern designers to mould rings, bangles or chains.

The gemstones can be classified into precious and semi-precious stones according to their availability and excellence of splendor. The diamonds, sapphires, opals, ruby, spinels, topaz, emeralds and pearls are considered to be the most precious stones till today.

During historical ages both the men and women used to ornament themselves with heavy jewelleries. The upper class women used to have parures, which were actually elegant suits with precious gems which could include a diadem, a necklace, a pair of bracelets, a comb and pins, a tiara, rings, earrings or even a belt clasp. These possessions were mark of grace and sophistication. The extensive use of pearls and diamonds in early 1900s bewilder even today`s designers and patrons. Queen Alexandra made and wore a high neck collar choker, called the `collier de chien` to hide the scar on her neck.

Later on, from 1940s or 1950s, the great influence of movies and TV shows and largely the prominence and glamour of actors and actresses started working on the general minds, and a gradual modernization of jewelry was gladly accepted by the generations for their dynamic creative and affordable fine designs.

The comparatively cheaper materials of jewelry, like sea shells, clay or imitation metals and colored stones attract mostly the young minds, giving a trendy dimension to their dress code and the lighter form of precious jewelry, thus mostly meeting the modern fashion statements.