As expected, the history of jewelry dates way back in time and can’t be traced to just one civilizations, as it evolved differently in many parts of the world. The first form of jewelry was found in Africa and is believed it dates from the times of Homo Sapiens, consisting of perforated beads made from snail shells.

    In Africa jewelry was made from bones, teeth and stones. The first cooper jewelry appeared around 5000 BC, 7000 years ago. The first professional making shops appeared in Egypt, where gold jewelry was much appreciated because of its scarcity, as it symbolized power and wealth. Together with gold, Egyptians used colored glass to put together jewelry as they could control the color which was a very important matter for them.

    In Mesopotamia, 4000 years ago jewelry making was one of the main occupations in the cities of Sumer and Akkad. The main supplies used were gold, silver and semiprecious stones. The most used shapes for Mesopotamian jewelry were leafs, spirals, cones and bunches of grapes.

    Greeks were using gold and gems in jewelry around 1400 BC and by 300 BC they have mastered the techniques of coloured jewelry. At first Greek jewelry was pretty simple in design compared to other cultures but in time it become more sophisticated in shape and range of materials used. Greek jewelry was mainly used for public appearances and gifts and women used to worn them as a sign of wealth.

    Romans, as a conquering nation adopted various types of jewelry according with what they’ve confiscated from different tribes. Because of the variety of materials available, Romans had one of the most diversified jewelry items at that times. Also different from other cultures, the Romans men used to wear more jewelry than the women. When the Roman empire went down, the jewelry designs were absorbed by various neighbour cultures.

    roman jewelry pendant

    Roman jewelry pendant