Jewellery (also spelled jewelry, see
spelling differences) is a personal
ornament, such as a necklace, ring, or bracelet, made from
gemstones,
precious metals or other substances.
The word jewellery is derived from the word jewel, which was
anglicised from the Old
French "jouel" around the 13th century.
[1] Further tracing leads back to the
Latin word "jocale", meaning plaything. Jewellery is one of the oldest forms of body adornment; recently found 100,000 year-old beads made from
Nassarius shells are thought to be the oldest known jewellery.
[2]Although during earlier times jewellery was created for practical uses such as wealth storage and pinning clothes together, in recent times it has been used almost exclusively for decoration. The first pieces of jewellery were made from
natural materials, such as
bone,
animal teeth,
shell,
wood, and carved
stone. Jewellery was often made for people of high importance to show their status and, in many cases, they were buried with it.
Jewellery is made out of almost every material known and has been made to adorn nearly every body part, from
hairpins to
toe rings and
many more types of jewellery. While high-quality is made with
gemstones and precious metals, there is also a growing demand for
Art jewelry where design and creativity is prized above material value. In addition, there is the less-costly
costume jewellery, made from less-valuable materials and mass-produced. New variations include
wire sculpture (wrap) jewellery, using anything from base metal wire with rock tumbled stone to precious metals and precious gemstones.