Aviva Directory » Shopping & eCommerce » Jewelry

The focus of this part of our web guide is on jewelry shopping, particularly online.

Spelled jewellery in many countries outside of the United States, jewelry refers to decorative items worn for personal adornment. It can include pieces made from precious metals, gemstones, or other materials, often crafted into necklaces, rings, bracelets, and earrings.

The history of jewelry can be traced back to prehistory when early humans adorned themselves with materials found in their natural environment. Neanderthals used fish bones, rocks, feathers, and shells for decoration. Later, in Kenya, beads were made from perforated ostrich egg shells.

It is believed that prehistoric humans adorned their bodies even before they thought of clothing them, using shells, fishbones, colored pebbles, reindeer antlers, and mammoth tusks.

As civilizations sprung up along riverbanks, people discovered alluvial deposits of minerals, including gold and precious stones. Eventually, this led to the birth of goldsmithing and intricate jewelry designs.

Throughout history, jewelry served multiple purposes, as it does today. Jewelry served as an indication of wealth, rank, and privilege. It has also been used to mark significant events, such as weddings or religious ceremonies. In some cultures, jewelry was used as a form of currency or as a tribute to the gods. Various cultures often express their cultural identity through jewelry. Personalized jewelry may convey emotions and sentiments.

The use of gold and gemstones led to the creation of intricate designs and skilled craftsmanship. Over the years, jewelry-making techniques evolved, including filigree, granulation, and gemstone setting.

Jewelry remains a powerful form of self-expression today, reflecting personal style, beliefs, and emotions. The industry contributes significantly to economies, from mining and production to retail and design. Jewelry continues to symbolize love, commitment, and celebration.

Jewelry can be made from a wide range of materials, such as gemstones, amber, pearls, coral, precious metals, beads, and shells. Other commonly used materials include coins, silver, and other alloys, as well as glass, enamel, and wood. Beads are commonly used, and they may be made of glass, gemstones, metal, wood, shells, clay, or pearls.

Goldsmiths, silversmiths, and lapidaries use methods like forging, casting, soldering, welding, cutting, carving, and cold-joining to assemble parts.

Diamonds were first mined in India. In 2005, Australia, Botswana, Russia, and Canada were the primary sources of gemstone diamond production. Diamonds mined during the recent civil wars in Angola, Ivory Coast, and Sierra Leone have been labeled as blood diamonds when they are mined in a war zone and sold to finance an insurgency.

Several precious and semiprecious stones are used in jewelry. These include amber, amethyst, emerald, jade, jasper, quartz, ruby, sapphire, and turquoise.

Types of jewelry for various parts of the body include hair ornaments (crowns, headbands, scrunchies, and hairclips), arms (armlets, bangles, bracelets, and cuff links), hands (rings), body (belly chains, body piercing jewelry, breastplates, brooches, earrings, chatelaines, and necklaces), feet (anklets and toe rings)

Jewelry is often used for special functions, as well. These might include amulets, celibacy vow rings, medical alert jewelry, membership ins, military dog tags, pledge pins, prayer jewelry, puzzle jewelry, signet rings, thumb rings, and gemstone jewelry.

Jewelry components include cameos, emblems, findings, lockets, medallions, and pendants. In vintage jewelry, foilbacks were metal foil placed behind gemstones to enhance their sparkle. When this foil darkens or peels, the gemstones are considered dead or lacking in sparkle. Modern jewelers rarely use foiling behind actual gemstones, although they are used behind faux gems.

Another form of jewelry is art jewelry, which is created by studio craftspeople. Art jewelry uses a variety of materials, including those of low economic value, to emphasize creative expression and design. Unlike conventional fine jewelry, which relies on precious materials like gold, silver, and gemstones, art jewelry focuses on artistic expression and individuality. Studio jewelers who work independently in small private studios create one-of-a-kind or limited-production pieces.

Online retailers of these, or any other type of jewelry, are the focus of resources found in this category or its sub-categories. Brick-and-mortar jewelers may also be listed here when they offer online shopping, as well.

Categories

Brick & Mortar

Gems & Precious Stones

Men's

Precious Metals

Rings

Watches

 

 

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