The Allure of Jewelry

What is a woman to make of Eve wanting to eat the forbidden fruit. What persuaded her that she should risk her life for some fruit? If that wicked snake had offered her some beautiful gold earings or a diamond tennis bracelet, that would be a very different story. The allure of jewelry appeals to most of us whether we are a little girl who must have the elaborate set of Barbie glamour jewelry or the woman who must have a Tiffany bracelet. We simply cannot resist beautiful jewelry. We never have and probably never will. It's like we have a jewelry gene within us that makes us crave gold, silver, or platinum to adorn ourselves. Since Eve had no clothes before the fall, she didn't even know what jewelry was, but I bet as soon as she put on the first set of fig leaves, it wasn't a week before she was adorning them with beautiful rocks that she thought were pretty. So I guess we can say we aren't entirely responsible for our cravings for jewelry. Just like everything else that we like and enjoy, the Devil made us do it.

Since the earliest of times, people have wanted to wear jewelry for a various reasons. The very first jewelry was crafted from materials such as stones, feathers, shells, and even bones. Often in primitive times, jewelry was worn for one of three reasons: as a religious talisman, to show status, or in the belief that it would protect the wearer. The ancient Egyptians often wore various types of jewelry to encourage positive results like good luck. This was very different to today's society, and people did not wear jewelry simply because it was pretty. At least, that was the case until the Roman times.

Wealthy Romans were notorious for their hedonistic lifestyle, and they loved wearing jewelry which was crafted from gold and gemstones. Wearing jewelry wasn't just to show their social standing, they wore it because it was pleasing to the eye and they enjoyed it. These days, jewelry is worn by men, women and even children the world over. Just as in ages past, people today wear jewelry for a variety of reasons. Some still wear jewellry in the belief that it will ward off ill health but most wear it because they just like the look of it.

Birthstone jewelry is very popular and commonly worn today. The origins of the birthstone is something of a mystery, the tradition has held strong for ages upon ages. Each month of the year is assigned it's very own birthstone. For example, January's birthstone is Garnet, meanwhile the birthstone for August is Peridot. Each gemstone is associated with certain qualities as well so garnet is believed to protect the wearer from nightmares, depression and encourage lasting love. We should all be wearing garnet, it seems. Peridot, however, is symbolic of protection and success and we would all like that too. Each birthstone has its own special qualities and folklore and each person will have their own reasons for favouring one but there is something very appealling about wearing your own very special birthstone..

Regardless of our modern thoughts, just as in ancient times, much of the jewelry worn today is symbolic. The best example of this is, of course, the engagement ring and wedding band. The single diamond in an engagement ring not only symbolizes a promise, but also something rare and beautiful. The wedding ring symbolizes an unbroken circle and the sanctity of marriage. We also have promise rings which are given by boyfriends to their girlfriends as a symbol of their affection. Often high school students will exchange class rings as a memento of a special time too. Let's not forget about mothers' rings. These rings contain a birthstone for each child and symbolizes a mother's never-ending love and pride for her offspring making them a very powerful and important symbol..

However, let's not forget that there's jewelry that doesn't mean anything special to anyone but it is simply beautiful to behold. It may be expensive fine jewelry but it can also be cheap costume jewelry. The vaste range of different styles and types of jewelry means you can find personal ornamentation to suit your every whim and match your every outfit. The appeal and allure of jewelry has existed since man first walked upon the earth, and will surely continue to do so for as long as he, and she, continues to do so.

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