The History of Necklaces

Necklaces are
one of the first types of adornment early humans made. Two beads made from snail shells were found
in Israel and were dated to over 100,000 years ago, and it is very likely that
these were strung on a cord and worn as a necklace; at this time metal had not
been discovered so it is unlikely that adorning the body involved any piercing
at this stage, making a necklace the more likely explanation for the punctures
made in the shells. The cord, made from
organic material, has not survived.
In
prehistoric times shells, feathers, stones and other natural materials were
used to make necklaces and by the Bronze Age metal was starting to be used to
make jewellery of different types. The
first depictions of necklaces are from around 4,000 BC in the Middle East,
where art and statues show human figures with adornments around the neck. As metal became more widely available and
gemstones started to be discovered, these were worked into necklaces and by the
Ancient Egyptian civilisation ornate necklaces with many different materials
were worn by those of a high class.
Ancient
Greeks and Romans wore detailed and colourful necklaces, while further west
wider, choker style necklaces were favoured.
At around 555 AD Christian iconography was seen in necklaces, with the
cross symbol appearing as a pendant.
Necklaces became more common again in the medieval times when necklines
on clothing became lower, affording the opportunity to show off one's wealth in
the form of a necklace. In the 1800's
necklaces became very ornate, thanks to the very low necklines made popular in
European courts. It was common to wear
multiple necklaces and to continue the bejewelled look by pinning brooches and
gems to dresses. Since then necklace
trends have changed many times and in the modern world all sort of styles can
be found on the high street and in high end jewellers alike.
Our Rainbow
Cocktail necklace is in keeping with middle and late stage Ancient Greek styles
with the plethora of coloured stones. At
the time these new gemstones were a novelty and the ability to include many
different colours in one piece gave rise to some very bold and bright pieces
indeed, a style which is reflected tastefully in this piece and the matching
earrings and ring.
Our Simply
Sparkle Cross necklace is similar in style to the early examples of cross
pendants which were common as Christianity spread across the western
world. Although ours has more stones
than many of the contemporary examples, which were made mainly with precious
metals, the chunky cross design is evocative of the style of jewellery made at
the time. Our other three cross
necklaces are more dainty and similar to the styles of jewellery seen at
earlier times – the Ancient Egyptians and Greeks were accomplished jewellers
and metal smiths and many of the skills and techniques they developed are still
used today.
We don't
follow trends slavishly because in the modern world styles change so frequently
pieces can date very quickly if they are too far into a particular style. Instead, we focus on creating jewellery which
can be worn for many years and can be passed down to future generations, who
will get just as much joy out of it as we do.
Our necklaces are all on curb chains allowing them to be worn at
different lengths, so they're easily adapted to changing neckline fashions and
trends.
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