Pre-Historic Jewelry

The oldest evidences of the use of jewelry were necklaces, bracelets, and painted seashells found in caves in North Africa from about 80,000 years ago. Neanderthal people were believed to have worn seashell necklaces about 50,000 years ago. Animal teeth were worn as necklaces in addition to shells. People started importing exotic materials for making accessories that were not found in their own locations around 30,000 years ago. Beads were at times used for trading in primitive commerce. This was the precursor of money. Jewelry were manifestations of people’s awareness of their identities and were part of the progress toward civilization. Ultimately with the onset of civilization in Mesopotamia and Egypt, jewelry became more elaborate.
You can see present day handcrafted jewelry at Beadshaper

Earrings

Earrings in the dawn of civilization had religious significance and only later were worn for fashion. The oldest known earrings were found in graves of nobility in Mesopotamia and date back to about 2500-3000 BC. Ancient earrings were mostly hoop and pendant styles although a plug style was worn in ancient Egypt. Earrings were a sign of wealth because poor people could not afford the expensive materials of which they were made. There was a superstion that they made eyesight better. The wearing of earrings declined in Medieval Europe at which time they were considered too flashy but returned again in the early 17th Century. They temporarily went out of fashion in the early 18th Century when bonnets which obscured the ears were in fashion. Screw back earrings were invented and became popular in the early 20th Century. Light and simple styles were popular in the 1950s. More variety in color and texture became popular in the 1960s. Pierced earrings came back into style in the 1970s and have remained so since then.
See Earrings for examples of contemporary earrings handcrafted by the Beadshaper that you can purchase.