Jewellery history goes back many thousands if years. Evolving from bones, shells, teeth, and other objects in prehistoric times.

Approximately 5000 years ago, jewellery making started in Egypt, Italy, China and South and Central America.
In Italy in the time if the Renaissance, jewellery reached the high status of fine art with many Italian artists training as goldsmiths. Jewellery came back to popularity in the 17th century, somewhat overshadowing its symbolic meaning. By 1930, mass production processes of Jewellery in New York, made it within reach of the masses.
Jewellery has always played a very important role in world history. For example, in the 16th century, the Spaniards had established an entire empire to acquire, gold and jewelled objects of pre-Columbian Mexico and Peru.

Gold was discovered in the late 1840’s in the United States of America in California.
This resulted in a migration of ¼ of a million people to California and surrounding areas.
Towns sprung up everywhere, in result of this mass migration, establishing a whole new area and economy.
In the mid 1860s, in Southern Africa, a farm hand is said to have found a beautiful Diamond.
This was the beginning of the De Beer control in Diamond trade the world over, with almost 80% of the worlds trade of Diamonds. In 1871 Cecil John Rhodes bought a claim to the De Beer’s Diamond mine.
The purpose of jewellery hasn’t changed much at all. It's the change in technology which has made jewellery more ornate and sophisticated.
In and around the Victorian Era, mass productions of jewellery were being manufactured. This was a huge significant change as it meant jewellery could be produced at a much lower cost.

We can date all the way back, approximately 5000 years ago, to when the basic methods of reproducing jewellery were first used.

A surge in demand created the high prices that some jewellery items command as well as the lack of the raw materials.

Metals such as platinum and gold are more expensive than silver due to their scarceness. Good Gem quality Diamonds, Rubies and Sapphires are also very pricey due to their scarce nature and the high mining costs associated with this type of business.
There are many significances to wearing jewellery. For example; a ring, is a symbol of unity and eternity. Because the ring is in a circular shape, it was considered an object of protection, something that warded off negativity.
Rings are still today symbols for marriages and other sacred unions due to them representing eternity.
The history of the claddagh ring, where legend believes that Richard Joyce, a Galway seafarer who was kidnapped by pirates and sold into slavery in Africa, learnt the art of goldsmithing.
When he was allowed to return to his beloved Galway, in the west of Ireland. He settled and became a master goldsmith, when one day he created the claddagh ring. For centuries the Claddagh ring was used as a wedding ring by the local folk of the Claddagh village.
Today Claddagh rings are worn as a symbol for friendship, engagement or as wedding ring jewellery, depending on how they are worn. For example; in friendship the ring is worn anywhere upon the right hand. When it is used as an engagement the ring is worn on your third finger of your left hand with the heart pointing outwards and once your are married, you switch the heart to be pointing inwards towards your heart instead of outwards.

Necklaces, were other jewellery types that were considered to symbolic. Because necklaces are worn close to your heart, they can be used to magnetize or reinforce love.
Earrings have their own fascinating history as they were once worn to protect the ears from negativity and diseases. In some parts of history, earrings became a symbol of slavery.
Gemstone jewellery also has its significances and legends attached to them. The emerald gemstone, for example, is aid to be Cleopatra's favourite stone.
The history of jewellery and gemstones does seem to be endless. We have only started to scratch the surface in this page of information. If you are interested in Jewellery History, it is well worth saving or bookmarking this page for later reference and as we will always be adding more information to these pages all the time!