Jewellery comprises ornamental objects worn by persons, typically
made with gemstones and precious metals. Costume jewellery
is made from less valuable materials. However, jewellery can
and has been made out of almost every kind of material.
The word is derived from the word "jewel", which
was anglicised from the Old French "jouel" in around
the 13th century. Further tracing leads back to the Latin
word "jocale", meaning plaything.
Some cultures have a practice of keeping large amounts of
wealth stored in the form of jewellery. Jewellery can also
be symbolic, as in the case of Christians wearing a crucifix
in the form of jewellery, or, as is the case in many Western
cultures, married people wearing a wedding ring.
Jewellery in various forms has been made and worn by both
sexes in almost every (if not every) human culture, on every
inhabited continent. Personal adornment seems to be a basic
human tendency.
Materials and methods
Jewellery, particularly when made with precious materials,
is generally considered valuable and desirable. A variety
of precious gemstones, coins or other precious items can be
used, often set into precious metals. Common metals used for
jewellery include gold, platinum or silver. Most gold alloys
used in jewellery range from 10K to 22K gold, while platinum
alloys range from 900 (90% pure) to 950 (95.0% pure). The
silver used in jewellery is often sterling silver.
Common gemstones that are used include diamonds, rubies,
sapphires, emeralds, and opals. Dozens more are also commonly
used.
Other commonly used materials include glass, such as fused
glass or enamel; wood, often carved or turned; shells and
other natural animal substances such as bone and ivory; and
natural clay and plasticine clays, such as polymer clay.
Beads are commonly used in jewellery. These may be made of
many different substances including glass, gemstones, wood,
shells, clay and polymer clay. Beaded jewellery commonly encompasses
necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and belts. Beads may be large
or small. The smallest type of beads commonly used are known
as seed beads; these are the beads used for the "woven"
style of beaded jewellery.
Among uncommonly used materials are fish scales
Sound of jewellery
The sound of jewellery has played an enermous part in many
stories, poems, and religious literature (more details and
sources to come). Different jewellery creates different sounds,
ie plastic bangles create a high pitched clink sound, while
others such as baxelite produce a "clunck" sound.
Knowing how a particular piece of jewellery sounds can help
someone identify whether or not a piece of jewellery is fake.
Indeed people have written about the sound of "fake gold",
and jewel makers such as Sharon Alouf, a famous jeweler have
praised the high frequency pitched noise of gold bangles(most
likely real gold she is wearing). To this day, the jeweler
claims, "the sound of bangles clinking together is very
soothing to me. It always reminds me of motherhood."Alouf
is even partial to particular tones. "Gold produces my
favorite sound," she says, "the pitch is higher
and clearer, which I find energizing."
