Jewelry making, also known as jewelry accessory design, entails crafting, building, or sketching jewelry pieces. The artistry has been a vital aspect of human history for ages, from the ancient times to the present.
Even in ancient times, jewelry was quite ornate, even as the technology for designing and manufacturing jewelry did not yet exist. People have long used jewelry to convey the significance of art, religion, social status, and relationships.
In ancient Egypt, jewelry symbolized power and status. Gold was predominant in Egyptian jewelry, accompanied by three colors – carnelian, turquoise, and lapis lazuli. These jewelry pieces also featured precious gems, such as emeralds. The repertoire of ornamental motifs, meanwhile, was limited. As gold held great significance, its wearers were generally the royalty and the nobility. Pharaohs, in particular, donned themselves in golden pieces of jewelry, including signet rings and collar necklaces.
In ancient Greece, jewelry portrayed mythological stories with the most intricate details. Gold and silver were the most commonly used metals, while rare pieces incorporated gemstones. Greek jewelry was renowned for employing the techniques of granulation and filigree. Granulation involved melding tiny gold beads onto a surface to create complicated designs. Filigree was weaving gold threads into exquisite patterns. In Rome, members across all social strata prized gold, with the most common motifs being leaves, spirals, coiled snakes, and half-moons. The era also saw the advent of embellishment, encompassing the use of colored gems like rubies, pearls, and sapphires.
During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, jewelry designs showed influences from religion, politics, and culture. Jewelry symbolized one’s devotion to God in the Middle Ages, with numerous pieces featuring crosses and images of saints. Entering the Renaissance, jewelry focused on depicting the artistic and cultural advances of the era, using enamel and sought-after materials such as gold, silver, pearls, and precious stones.
The onset of new technology, tools, and resources in the 20th and 21st centuries greatly expanded jewelry design. New materials, including plastic, stainless steel, and titanium, were introduced, and modern manufacturing processes such as casting, computer-aided design, and 3D printing technology also began to be employed.
Serena Park Staff Reporter
1. What does jewelry making entail? What have people used jewelry to convey?
2. Describe the charactersistics of Egyptian jewelry.
3. Describe the charactersistics of Greek and Roman jewelry.
4. Describe the charactersistics of jewelry from Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
1. Do you wear any jewelry? What kinds of jewelry do you like? Why?
2. How are the lives of the nobility different from those of commoners? Explain.
3. Which is more important--art and philosophy OR law and order? Explain.
4. What has been the influence of religion on people's lives?
Jewelry making, also known as jewelry accessory design, entails crafting, building, or sketching jewelry pieces. The artistry has been a vital aspect of human history for ages, from the ancient times to the present.
