In the 21st century, women have as much liberty as men. They can now make choices on their own and can enjoy economic independence. Women in today’s time know how to celebrate womanhood. But if we time travel to ancient times, it becomes apparent that most women couldn't enjoy their freedom irrespective of their socio-economic background. However, they used to adorn themselves with a wide range of intricately designed inspirational jewellery.

To a woman, jewellery has always been a universal way of adornment. The tradition of putting on different types of jewellery items made from precious stones besides shells and bones began from prehistoric times. The discovery of feasible ways of working on metals triggered the evolution of the art of jewellery in the ancient world. With time, metalworking methods started becoming more advanced and design more sophisticated.

How Women in Prehistoric Times Used to Perceive Inspirational jewellery?

Not just today, even earlier too, women used to view jewellery as one of the essential fashion accessories that beautifully complement an attire. It is learned after conducting in-depth research that women in ancient civilisations loved wearing jewellery to accentuate their natural beauty. 

They used to don inspirational jewellery made out of different costly and naturally available materials on different occasions. During those times, women were not provided many fair chances to exhibit their personality and talent. Still, they used to showcase their femininity by wearing well-decorated jewellery. 

Unanimously, every woman in ancient history believed that inspirational jewellery items were the ideal accessories without which every look remained incomplete. So, without any hesitations you can say that jewellery has played a vital role in every woman’s life since ancient times. 

Women in a bygone era had the habit of putting on different gorgeous pieces of jewellery to express various messages like elegance, wisdom, security, and prosperity. Like today, earlier too, women wore beautiful jewellery to appear graceful and confident. 

Inspirational jewellery: An Integral Part of the Culture of Ancient Civilisations

It is evident from the steady growth of the global jewellery market that women’s fondness for beautifully designed jewellery pieces has grown over the years. So, if you enjoy wearing earrings, nose pins, bracelets, necklaces, etc., made out of silver, gold, pearl, diamond, or any other gemstones, know that this was the habit of most women in earlier times. 

Keep reading to gain a sound knowledge of the evolution of jewellery. Also, you will learn how jewellery became a vital facet of the lifestyle of women and as well as many men back then.  

Jewellery was instrumental in reshaping society. People in earlier days incorporate jewellery into their culture. In 2006, some reputed researchers unearthed beads in the Asian continent that were made from Nassarius shells. The beads dated back to 0.1 million to 0.13 million years old. It became apparent that both males and females used to adorn most parts of their bodies with jewellery made from pieces of various kinds.

Most women in ancient civilisations often preferred wearing different pieces of jewellery because they believed that those somehow kept them inspired other than making them look attractive. In the distant past, jewellery was a sort of currency, and people used it for commercial reasons. Also, the usage of jewellery was common for outfit ornamenting purposes. 

Men and women of all ages had the tendency to put on decorative ornaments. Adorning the body with jewellery made from naturally found materials became a tradition of individuals in many civilisations all over the world. 

Evolution of Women’s Jewellery

A timeline shedding light on the notable transformation of women’s jewellery over the centuries has been mentioned below to make it a lot easier for you to understand. Check it out!

Ancient Times: Jewellery craftsmen in prehistoric times used animals’ bones, tendons, and teeth, besides stones, to manufacture stunning jewellery items for women. 

2000 BC - Egyptians were fond of only one particular metal, gold, when it comes to manufacturing jewellery. Compared to other fine metals, they regarded gold as more opulent. Hence, they wore pieces of jewellery made out of gold to show their status. 

1400 BC - In ancient Greece, the majority of men and women had an obsession with wearing beads. Jewellery artisans designed those beads as flowers, beetles, shells, etc.

800 BC - In ancient Italy, hallow pendants became remarkably popular among people. Such was the craze for these jewellery pieces that many used to fill the same with fragrant liquids. Those would smell nice all the time.

1300 AD - People didn’t give expensive gemstones like sapphires and diamonds much priority back then. They were fond of natural white pearls of large round-shaped without any spot or mark. In the Persian Gulf and Southern Part of India, premium quality pearls were available. 

1600 AD - High society women had the tendency of putting on jewels on their clothing. They proudly used to wear those clothes boasting costly gemstones on occasions. 

1800 AD - The standard of fine jewellery got affected due to the production of jewellery in large quantities. Victorian women protested and decided not to wear any kind of jewellery item. Post the improvement of jewellery standards, mourning jewellery, and inspirational jewellery became famous.

1900 AD - This is the era of Art Nouveau jewellery. One of the standout features of this type of jewellery was the natural designs that it featured. Aside from flowing smooth curves, another noteworthy aspect of Art Nouveau jewellery was the presence of pale colours.

2000 AD – The usage of silver, gold, and platinum in vast quantities for manufacturing a wide range of gorgeous jewellery items became widespread. Designs reflect an eclectic range of influences. Inspirational jewellery is quite popular as it reflects sources of inspiration and motivation.

Conclusion

So, now hopefully, the history of women wearing jewellery is more or less clear to you. Aside from being an ornament for embellishing the body parts and highlighting the natural beauty, jewellery has always been a medium of expression, regardless of the era.