Check out this amazing list of not-so-known facts about precious, semi-precious and artificial jewellery.
100,000 year old beads made from Nassarius shells is the oldest known jewellery
The word jewellery comes from the old French word jouel, and it means “plaything”
In America, it is called jewelry while in other countries, it is called jewellery.
In earlier times, Egyptian people used to wear handmade jewellery made from the live insects like beetles. Mexican people have used Cockroach in their jewellery.
Image Source: Sconefenton
Jewellery made with the Platinum alloy ranges from 900 (90% pure) to 950 (95% pure).
Did you know that the Diamonds were first mined in India?
Image Source: Robbreport
The origin of Engagement rings dates back to 1477. It was first popularised by the marriage of Maximilian the 1st to Mary of Burgundy.
Amber can be as old as 120 million years. Amber, an organic gemstone, is made of tree resin. It must be at least a million years old in order to qualify as an amber gemstone. But today there are plenty of composite resin alternatives around which are not as authentic as the real one.
Amethyst gemstone is just a version of quartz. It has a beautiful purple colour which makes it a popular semi-precious gem for handmade jewellery.
Emeralds were mined by the Egyptians as early as 3500 BC. Emeralds were used as a protection against memory loss. It was believed that putting an emerald under your tongue could help one see into the future.
Jade gemstone is sometimes called ‘the stone of heaven’.
A large, perfect ruby is worth more than a similar sized diamond.
Though Sapphire comes in a wide range of colors but the most popular form of sapphire is blue.
Turquoise is only found in only a few places, the major area being the south western USA.
Organic gemstones like pearls, coral and amber, are made by living organisms rather than created under the Earth’s crust.
Image Source: pearls for girls
In ancient Rome, jewellery was seen as a sign of financial prosperity. Only high ranking people were allowed to wear rings. While In the west, men who wore earrings were seen as effeminate in the 19th and 20th centuries.
In traditional Islamic culture, the wearing of gold by men is a social taboo and women are only allowed to wear nothing but ear jewellery.
In some African cultures big earrings are a sign of masculinity, prowess, power and status.
Wedding rings for men were introduced in the 20th century. It was launched by the jewellery industry to increase sales by targeting a large number of audience. By the mid 1940s, 85% of north American weddings had rings for both partners.
The Christian bible is against the wearing of gold.
Snail shell beads found in Africa date back 75,000 years and were discovered in the ancient Blombos Cave.
Beads made from ostrich egg shell (more than 40,000 years old) have been found in Kenya’s Enkapune Ya Mutoate.
You can bring out the shine of your tarnished copper jewellery with a help of ketchup, vinegar and lemon juice.
DO you know more such facts? Drop comments and let us know more about such interesting not-so-known jewellery facts.
