Jewels across time The history of jewellery across time is not so much of an account of human vanity than a reflection of the evolution of human societies and the urge of humans to create symbols and beauty. There are signs that humans have been wearing jewels from very early times on as personal adornment. Originally, these were made of materials easily available in nature such as shells, animal bones or teeth. With time humans learned to work with different stones and metals, including gold and gems that were particularly valued in jewellery. Our ancestors were incredibly gifted jewellers and the beauty and splendour of the old jewels still fascinate us as clearly demonstrated by the interest shown for jewel displays in museums or for itinerary exhibitions on for example the Gold of the Incas or the treasures from Egyptians tombs. With the use of precious metals like gold or gems like diamonds, jewels became tangible signs of wealth, power and societal order. At different times, like in the Middle Age, laws were passed as to who was allowed to wear jewels, which in itself illustrates the social importance attached to jewels. The concept of crown jewels was created in the renaissance period where the French King, Francois 1st declared 8 fine pieces to be inalienable heirlooms of French kings. Similar legislation in other countries soon laid the ground for the treasures of the European Royal families.
19th and 20th century, a turning point The use and significance of jewels changed drastically in the 19th century due to social, technological and cultural factors. You can find amazing accessories at Jewellers in Northcote
A new social code - Until then men wear just as sumptuous jewels as women did. Likewise, they had precious stones, pearls, gold and silver threads sawed into their garments. However, around the 19th century, the social code required more sober dress code for men. Furthermore, around the same period, a much sharper differentiation was introduced between day and evening jewels, the most sumptuous being reserved for evenings and galas. A new technology - The industrial revolution made it possible to mass produce jewels of high- as well as low-quality, thus placing jewellery within the economic grasp of a much larger segment of the population. This, in turn, led to a more relaxed relation to jewels acquired at a lower cost and easily replaced by new collections for a quickly changing fashion. The modern culture - The Art Nouveau movement and the 1900 World Exhibition marked a new era where design and creativity are prized above material value, thus shifting the emphasis of the jeweller’s art from the setting of stones to the artistic design. This marked the birth of what is now called art jewellery as opposed to traditional jewellery.
During the Art Deco period, Coco Chanel greatly popularized costume jewellery as ornamentation to complement a particular fashionable costume or garment. Those costume jewels often made of no precious material and mass-produced marked the start of an era of disposable jewels that are fashionable for a short period of time and quickly outdated by a new fashion style. Jewel design did not only experimented with new forms and new material - including cheap materials like aluminium, plastic, paper, nylon, but haute-couture designers such as Coco Chanel, as mentioned above, and renowned artists like Salvador Dali, Picasso or Max Ernst made a significant contribution to innovation in that field. This work challenged constricting conventions and somewhat blurred the boundaries between jewellery, fashion and fine arts.you can have Custom jewellery in Northcote at a great deal.