| It’s now reasonably certain that man existed at | | | | from 4500 BC using gold and silver as well as their |
| least 6 million years ago. His earliest attempts must | | | | alloys with copper. |
| have been towards self-preservation and survival. But | | | | The Pre-Columbians from 4000 BC used highly |
| it’s interesting to note that creative and artistic | | | | technical methods in their jewelry. Examples of such |
| expressions in terms of personal adornment and | | | | jewelry using Platinum are not uncommon. Chinese |
| jewelry came before language whether written or | | | | jewelry arrived on the scene around 5000 years ago. |
| spoken. Antique jewelry discovered in a South | | | | Large earrings of complex design have been |
| African cave in Blombos confirms the use of mollusk | | | | discovered from around this period. These were in |
| in jewelry almost 100,000 years back. These mollusk | | | | silver, bronze and gold. Similarly Sumerian hoop |
| shells had evidently been strung together in the form | | | | earrings in lapis and gilded sterling silver can be found |
| of beads. For very obvious reasons jewelry in ancient | | | | from around 2500 BC. |
| times was invariably made from teeth and bones of | | | | Today you can buy exquisite museum jewelry from |
| animals and birds, shell, wood, stone and animal hide. | | | | the years past. These are available online. They are |
| The destructive nature of these natural materials has | | | | created using similar materials as originally used. Care |
| made the task of heritage preservation a mammoth | | | | is taken to copy the original designs from ancient |
| task. | | | | jewelry pieces. You can buy Viking jewelry from 800 |
| Museum jewelry traces the progress of jewelry of | | | | AD and Russian, Victorian and French pieces from the |
| the ancient man from central Africa and thereafter in | | | | 17th century. You can select west |
| the Middle East followed by the Indus Valley and | | | | African crescent earrings in gilded sterling silver or |
| Europe between 45,000 BC and 10,000 BC. The use | | | | classical Greek heart earrings in garnet, pearl and |
| of semi-precious stones and precious metals was | | | | sterling silver from around 450 BC. A positive attempt |
| evident from about 10,000 years ago. You can | | | | is thereby made to preserve heritage in ancient |
| therefore see Egyptian antique earrings and brooches | | | | jewelry. |