History of Jewelry in Fashion

Jewelry is often associated with treasures (gold, gemstones, valuable materials) and is considered to be objects of intrinsic beauty, although its beginnings were very different. In prehistoric times, long before humans worked metals, jewelry was made from non-precious materials. Burials from 30,000 B.C. in Europe show that at that time people used locally available materials, such as shells and pebbles and, in hunting societies, also animal teeth and claws, to make jewelry.

Surviving examples reveal that jewelry pieces were engraved with intricate geometric patterns and, later, with zoomorphic images. Therefore, jewelry was an early form of decorative art. The study of some primitive cultures gives evidence that organic materials, which have since disintegrated, would no doubt also have been used in the past. It was not until a later stage of human development that people chose precious materials and possibly scarce ones from faraway places for jewelry.

Ancient Jewelry

Jewelry is as old as humanity. Whether it comes from a primitive culture or a modern civilization of the West or East, and regardless of material and style, the importance of jewelry transcends the limits of time and geographic borders; the similarities in the use of jewelry for personal adornment become evident in the study of various cultures.

In prehistory, as well as in contemporary cultures, jewelry is not just an accessory for the body, but also a means of communication. Hierarchy, prestige, and power are expressed through jewelry, which can affirm an individual's status in society. What initially seems to be an ornament may mark loyalty to a society or individual.

Jewelry also played an important role in protecting against life's dangers and was placed in burials for the afterlife of the deceased. In addition, jewelry was also used as a sign of personal affection and fidelity, and marked special occasions in life, such as coming of age, joining a religion through communion or confirmation, betrothal, marital status, and motherhood. Jewelry in its aesthetic expression is not only a sign of wealth and taste, but also reflects and communicates the personal character and temperament of the wearer.

Jewelry as an Integral Part of Fashion

Throughout its history until about the middle of the 20th century, when jewelry underwent a radical change, it had depended on the fashions of the moment. The variety of necklines, sleeve lengths, hemlines, and fabrics determined the type of jewelry worn, while the choice of materials and symbolism determined its function and use.

If they are not handed down as a family heirloom or placed for the person's afterlife and found in burial excavations, many types of jewelry known to have existed have not survived. Jewelry made of precious materials, regardless of the century or culture, has been destined to be dismantled, the gemstones reused and metals such as silver and gold melted to form ingots, whether to become a financial resource or to be remodeled in a new way.

Enamel jewelry has resisted this fate, since it was too complicated and costly to remove the enamel, while gold chains with a considerable weight in metal were the first to be melted down. Few images of types of jewelry and how it was worn survive from antiquity.

Mummy masks and wall paintings from the era of ancient Egypt, ancient Greek statues of gods and vase painting, Etruscan tomb sculpture, Roman tombstones, and the informative Fayum mummy portraits from the Roman period provide valuable evidence.

In the Middle Ages, tomb effigies and even religious paintings of the Virgin Mary and the saints illustrate the jewelry of the time. More importantly, the development of portrait painting and the depiction of the individual from the 15th century onward (supplemented after the mid-19th century by photography) allows for a thorough study of jewelry and makes possible the reconstruction of many types that are no longer in existence.

Traditional Forms

In some societies, Western-style jewelry has not yet completely erased the use of more traditional forms of jewelry. The use of natural materials in jewelry in forms that likely preserve a very long and continuous tradition of craftsmanship can be found, for example, among the highland peoples of New Guinea, where shells, bird-of-paradise feathers, boar tusks, and other animal products are commonly used as jewelry.

Until the second half of the 20th century these jewelry elements were ubiquitous in the absence of alternative materials (for example, metal objects); in the early 21st century, their continued use represents a choice among a wide range of possibilities.

French Fashion

In the second half of the 17th century, while Spain was in decline, France became the most important economic and cultural center. All the luxury industries flourished in the France of Louis XIV. French silks from Lyon and clothing fashions were exported and, with them, jewelry styles. It was also a period in which women played an increasingly important role in society. For their attire, heavy brocades had been replaced by light silks in various pastel shades.

The splendor and vivid colors of the fabrics called for a reduction of color in jewelry. Portraits of the era illustrate a passion for pearls, strung as necklaces or worn as pearl drops suspended from earrings, or from brooches worn on the chest, on the sleeve, or in the hair.

In 1789, the French Revolution had dramatic effects not only on the politics and life of France, but also on all of Europe. Outside France the market was flooded with the jewelry and gemstones of those who managed to escape, and prices fell radically. In France, anyone who owned jewelry of aristocratic origin faced death at the guillotine; only jewelry made of common metals was allowed, and this jewelry bore inscriptions or political and patriotic symbols.

Industrial Revolution and Costume Jewelry

The effects of the Industrial Revolution and the rise of the middle class became particularly evident in Great Britain. The middle class imitated the jewelry of the aristocracy, but instead of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds, gemstones such as amethyst, chrysoprase, tourmaline, turquoise, and many other colorful substitutes were used. Seed pearls required a great deal of labor, but as an economical material they replaced opulent pearl jewelry.

Not only were archaeological and exotic cultures reinterpreted, but also the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. By the second half of the 19th century the famous jewelers of today opened branches in the capitals of Europe; jewelry became global.

20th-Century Innovation

The path toward modernism in jewelry began in the early 20th century, when there was an atmosphere of renewal and individually crafted luxury goods. Paris with its 1900 exposition was predominant in the new aesthetic movement. Jewelry expressed emotions and winged women symbolized emancipation; nature was interpreted metaphorically: themes such as birth, death, and rebirth were expressed through plants at different stages of their life.

The decisive innovations in jewelry were brutally interrupted by the First World War. Many widows were forced to find employment to survive; clothing and hairstyle fashions became casual, as did jewelry.

In the roaring twenties, the elegant lifestyle and sumptuous luxury prevailed once again, reflected in the jewelry of the era. Diamonds and gemstones formed stylized compositions in contrasting colors reminiscent of artistic movements such as cubism, de Stijl, and futurism.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Hollywood embodied the desire for luxury with its fantasy world, mink stoles, and abundance of diamonds. During this time, jewelers in Europe were experimenting with gold surfaces, designing unconventional settings and thus transforming jewelry into a free art form.

After the 1960s, jewelry took an almost revolutionary turn with independent artist jewelers in their studios who boldly embarked on the path of the fine arts; in the 1980s they broke the existing limits of dimensions and materials and used materials ranging from gold to rubber and paper.

More than at any other time in its history, in the early 21st century, jewelry reflected mood and feelings, favorite colors, taste, an understanding of the arts and, last but not least, the individuality of the wearer.