Ancient Jewels; From Cavemen to Kings

I don’t have any idea why Cavemen would ever think to string a handful of animal teeth together but thank goodness they did. I am here to tell you that recently (supposedly)100,00 year old beads were found. The beads were made from Nassarius (snail) shells.

As life and time moved forward jewelry became more intricate and more relevant. In Ancient Egypt gold was in abundance and became used for jewelry that showed ones station in the empire. Not only did the Egyptians love gold during life they had it buried with them thinking they might keep it also in death. Most Kings and Pharaohs we can see in museums today are still heavily adorned with jewelry made in gold and silver lavished with gems. O it’s good to be King!

Another convenient use of all that gold and other riches was to literally ward off evil. Ancient peoples believed, much like salt, that jewelry made from gold and other precious materials could ward off evil.
I personally am so pleased at the wonderful craftsmanship of jewelry designers in our time but I am also grateful for the pioneers that, through trial and error, got us where we are today.

Here is a list of a few of my favorite jewelry designers to date; David Yurman, Yurman has adorned the likes of Hilary Swank, Justin Timberlake and Serena Williams.
Renelde Napoli, Napoli’s bead weaving makes her jewelry more like art than mere accessories.
Steven and Richard, This team of brothers has some of the most intricate designs available.