A History of Jewelry: A Jewelry Timeline
The history of jewelry is both fascinating and surprising. Jewelry is nearly as old as civilization itself and the evolution of jewelry techniques, styles and fashions gives us a fascinating look back into the time periods in which the jewelry was created. Much like the world of art, the world of jewelry has also undergone many changes in style, fashion and creation, changes that continue today.
From the earliest, simple sea shells to the intricate beauty and endless possibilities of custom-made CAD jewelry, the timeline shown below presents a general overview of these historical changes in jewelry design.
Timeline:
110.000 – 73.000 BC – During this time period jewelry was made from dried sea shells and sea shell beads. This is the earliest jewelry known to man.
38.00 – 2800 BC – Archaeological evidence found in France shows that jewelry beads were made from bone and animal teeth circa 38.00 BC. Circa 2800 BC, archaeological evidence found in what is now the modern Czech Republic, indicates that jewelry was made from fossilized shells and ivory beads.
4400 BC – During this era we see the production of the oldest known objects made from gold. These objects were made by the ancient Thracian civilization.
5000-30 BC – Around this time we start seeing the use of copper, which starts a new era in jewelry production. In addition, the Badarian culture from Egypt starts using alluvial gold to produce jewelry. And in Southern Egypt, we start to see jewelry created from gold, lapis, and ivory. Popular gemstones used in jewelry of that era and location included amethyst, carnelian, chalcedony, feldspar, and turquoise. Soldering and glass production was introduced around this time too.
2750 – 1200 BC – Jewelry gets even more sophisticated: People in Ancient Mesopotamia start to create jewelry from designs based on grapes, cones, and spirals. Popular gemstones for these jewelry pieces were agate, carnelian, lapis, and jasper. This period is also when Ancient Egyptian civilization started to actually cast gold and around 1500 the art of lost wax casting is developed in the Near East.
1400 -1200 BC – Egypt starts making jewelry from gold and copper with different gemstones, and jewelry becomes an export traded for goods from other civilizations. Around 1300BC we start to see the use of signet rings (in the form of a monogram or coat of arms) which were used to represent signatures, as this was a time when most people could not read or write. Greek jewelry during this era was inspired by animals and shells and frequently contained amethysts, chalcedony, pearls, garnet, emeralds and cornelian. In addition, in the early Harrapan culture, which emerged from South Asia during the Bronze Age, we start to see such advanced jewelry making techniques as embossing and enameling. Silver also becomes a popular metal for jewelry. Also around 1200 BC, molding and engraving are introduced in the Chavin civilization of Peru.
1100-600BC – The Greeks start making intaglios and cameos, and iron hand tools are introduced that allow for greater sophistication in the design and production of jewelry. Around 800BC, diamonds, which were already known in India, become an export product and circa 700BC/600BC the Etruscan civilization starts to use sapphires and amber in their jewelry pieces, while the Greeks start to include garnets and emeralds in their jewelry. Below are some beautiful cameo and intaglio style CAD models from Jewelrythis designers:
Beautiful deer cameo brooch by Exclusive Jewelry
Exquisite intaglio style wedding ring from the Suley Collection
500-400BC – Ancient Romans began to create jewelry pieces such as amulets, brooches, seal rings, and talismans that were infused with animal designs or coiling snakes. Amber, emeralds, garnets, diamond, pearls, and sapphires were the most popular gemstones used at that time.
400BC-1000CE – We enter the Dark Ages during which jewelry was rarely used except among nobility and royalty. No real advances in jewelry design or production are seen during this time.
1096 – 1496CE – Emerging from the Dark Ages, Medieval jewelry starts to become more widespread largely due to the spread of religion. At this time, there was a preference for hair and cloth jewelry, which was frequently adorned with emeralds, diamonds, pearls, rubies, and sapphires. These adornments were usually worn during religious ceremonies. Also during this period of time, China introduced the concept of cultured pearls (circa 1100 CE) and goldsmiths in London started a guild. In the 1200s, Gothic style jewelry becomes popular and we see the earliest evidence of diamond cutting (the point cut). Circa 1450, the table-cut diamond is introduced and not much later, the first French-cut diamonds are cut. It is also worth noting that around this time the first diamond engagement ring ever presented was given to Mary of Burgundy by Emperor Maximilian I.
1500-1800 – Enter the Renaissance and Georgian time period and with it a flourishing of jewelry in all of Europe. During this time, we see significant growth in jewelry use and popularity across all of Europe with new diamond cuts like the rose cut, the appearance of the first European lab for smelting ores, and the first mention ever of the Beau Sancy diamond. Also during this time, colorless zircons are mined in France and nearing the 1600s Baroque style hits Europe, influencing everything from architecture to clothing to jewelry. Baroque style is characterized by highly ornate and dramatic designs. The jewelry models you see below are just a small sample of the beautiful Baroque style jewelry submitted by talented designers to Jewelrythis.
Romantic, Baroque style engagement ring by Othmar Wicke
Lovely Baroque style fashion ring by Raul Cuevas
Baroque Engagement Ring with Filigree Detail
In this same time frame, circa 1650, the Great Mogul diamond is discovered in India, and circa 1700 the Peruzzi cut, which was an early version of the brilliant cut, is introduced. Tourmaline and topaz are also discovered during this time period and in 1791, titanium is discovered.
1800-1900 – Jewelry tastes and fashion are profoundly affected by the reign of Queen Victoria of England during this time period. This is also when the Royal Iron Works of Berlin opened and started producing jewelry. Other developments in jewelry include the introduction of brooches with swiveling compartments, the documentation of the process for bloomed gold, the patenting of a snake chain making machine in the USA and the opening of the first diamond cutting factory in the USA. In addition, the Eureka diamond (the first authenticated diamond) is found in South Africa in 1867 and the Dewey Diamond is cut in 1868. Also noteworthy is the patenting in 1886 of a six-prong setting for diamonds, which later became known as a Tiffany setting. Shortly after, the Tiffany setting for diamond solitaires was also introduced and the screw-back earring for unpierced ears was patented.
Early 1900s – This period was greatly influenced by Art Noveau and Edwardian styles and it is when white gold, a popular substitute for platinum, was patented as well as when the modern round brilliant cut was introduced. Cartier New York also opened in the early 1900s and then introduced the baguette cut in 1911.
1920-1935 – The 1920s brought us the Roaring Twenties and the rise of Art Deco, which influenced not only architecture, but also furniture, fashion, jewelry, and other everyday objects. Art Deco’s influence on jewelry came in the form of vivid and vibrant colors, geometrical shapes, abstract designs, and modernism. This was also around the time that wristwatches became popular.
1939-1949 – Now firmly into the ‘modern era’, we see the invention of the ‘invisible’ setting, which was patented by Cartier and Van Cleef and Arpels, and we also see costume jewelry manufacturers begin to use copyrights for designs instead of patents. This is significant because costume jewelry became increasingly popular around this time as a result of WWII and the resulting embargoes on gemstones. Another notable event for the history of jewelry during this period was the launch of the ‘a diamond is forever’ slogan by De Beers in 1948 – one of the most iconic ads in history.
1950s-1990s – The end of WWII saw the return of brightly colored jewelry as well as an increase in the popularity of rhinestones and large beads. In 1960, General Electric patented a process for producing synthetic diamonds.
1997-Present – Anything after 1997 is considered to be contemporary jewelry and this jewelry is more sophisticated and subtle than the jewelry designs of the past. Engagement rings in particular have become much more refined, with the solitaire engagement ring becoming the most popular style for many years. In recent years, jewelry design and production has also benefited greatly from technology. CAD in particular has brought jewelry design to new levels of complexity, intricacy and beauty. CAD jewelry is also more accurate, more versatile, and less expensive. And it allows for the creation of renders or photo-realistic images that show how the finished piece will look before it’s even been produced. At Jewelrythis, we are proud to be able to offer a complete range of top-quality, professional CAD/CAM design and production services. Just send us your sketch or photo, and we can design and produce your dream jewelry piece.
