A Sparkling History of Jewellery: Ancient Days to 17th Century

Gemstones and jewellery have been a part of mankind even before we started documenting our history. The relationship started when humans came into existence and started walking the earth. Of course, the jewellery of the ancient days was not like the pieces that you find nowadays in Serli & siroan jewellery stores.

The ancient people used to make the ancient jewellery with bones, shells, colored pebbles and feathers. More often than not, the archaeologists find that the colored pebbles that humans chose to create the jewelry were unpolished gems. So, the relationship with precious gems that we share these days is also quite old.

Interesting Facts

Can you imagine a time when the diamond was not this popular? Well, the historians point out that until we discovered the process of polishing the diamond to bring out its sparkles, people were not too fond of this gem. Since the 1300s, the diamond was able to catch the attention of people and gained the popularity that it retained even today.

Another interesting fact about ancient jewellery is that it was used to fulfill a purpose. For example, the designer brooches of that time were used for keeping the peats of the dresses intact. The rings and the pendants were often used as a sign of identification or seals. Jewellery was often used to make people aware of a person’s rank, authority and status in the society.

The earliest pieces of jewellery that have been discovered dated 25,000 years ago. It was a simple necklace made of fishbones. This necklace might be the sign of the leader of the group or a simple present to a lady for giving birth to a healthy child. We do not know the reasons that compelled the ancient people to make this jewellery, but we can surely imagine different reasons why the jewellery was esteemed as special.

Jewellery And Commitment

As society developed, the reasons for wearing jewellery changed as well. People started wearing jewellery to denote connection and commitment. For example, at one point, only the high ranking officers in Europe were allowed to wear the jewellery that comes with gemstones. The jewellery in this case signified wealth and power. The commoners who wanted to mimic them wore less expensive jewellery without any gemstones.

The use of jewellery as a signature of commitment, can be witnessed today. People buy their fiance engagement ring to show that they are engaged to each other and will get married soon. The wedding rings also play the same role.

Jewellery And Commitment

The interesting thing about the history of jewellery is that they have evolved differently in different cultures. In the following section of this article, the jewellery designer of serli & siroan jewellery store has depicted the history of jewellery of different countries and civilizations. Have a look.

Iran and Mediterranean

During 3000-400 B.C the ancient jewellery bloomed in the Mediterranean area. Most of this jewellery that people of this area used was simple seals and amulets. Most of the amulets and seals carried stars, floral designs and spiritual meanings.

People of this land used to offer jewellery to Gods and used it to dress up the statues. The greatest collection of jewellery of this land was found in the Royal Tombs dated back to 3000 B.C. In those tombs, the archaeologists found jewellery of every type along with the mummies.



Talismans and amulets were also common in ancient Egypt. The motif of a scarab or the Ankh is common in ancient Egyptian jewellery. Another form of jewellery that was popular during that time is long necklaces made of different colored stones. This necklace style is becoming popular these days.

Some of the gems, like amethyst, turquoise, carnelian etc. that the ancient people of Egypt used to make jewellery are still quite common today. They even used the symbols on the jewellery to signify the area where the person lives.

While the vulture signature represents Upper Egypt, the Cobra represented the lower portion of the country. The jewellery of the royals was made of silver or gold. Gems, like lapis lazuli and chalcedony, were commonly used to make the jewellery of the royals.

The Greeks

The prolific writers of the ancient Greeks often wrote about the jewellery and their effect on the day to day lives of people. Even though at the beginning, the Greeks used to copy the motifs of the Eastern Jewellery, they later created their jewellery making style. You can understand the beliefs and the symbols of Gods of the ancient Greek civilization just by studying their jewellery. The presence of gold beads is one of the signature styles of Greek jewellery.

The history of jewellery is varied and extremely interesting. The more you read about them, the more you will fall in love with the jewellery. Saying that, before you visit the serli & siroan jewellery store the next time, do your research on the ancient jewellery. Who knows, it might give you the right design idea for your new jewellery.