| Jewelry and gemstones marked their existence long time back. Jewelry is a personal ornament used to adorn different parts of the body, such as necklace adorns the neck, bracelet adorns the wrist and so on. The different materials used for crafting these ornaments are wood, shells, iron, copper, rubber, precious metals and gemstones and the designs and styles can vary from place to place and culture to culture.
Jewelry is derived from the English word “jewel” which is further derived from the French word "jouel" meaning “gemstone”. Jewelry is one of the oldest and popular forms of body adornment. During earlier times, most of the jewelry was created for practical or religious purposes. It was believed, in ancient Rome men wore a signet ring which was used to store official documentation, in many different cultures children were made to wear pendants or bracelets as amulets to ward off evil. During these times jewelry was made of natural materials like wood, shell, teeth, bones and stones.
The use of jewelry shifted from being an article of necessity to an article of luxury with the passage of time. Jewelry became an ornament and a symbol of status. Kings, queens and the royals had treasure chests full of dazzling gems and precious jewelry that are highly valued today. In recent times jewelry has become an important fashion accessory, an expression of self. Jewelry is made from a variety of materials known to mankind and has been made to adorn nearly every body part, from head to toe. There is no limit to the distinct varieties, designs and styles available today. There is fine jewelry that is made of natural gemstones and precious metals, art jewelry where design and creativity is prized above material value, costume jewelry which is made from less-valuable materials and mass-produced, fashion jewelry where again designs are important than the quality or value of the material used. Jewelry can also be symbolic of a religion, cult or group membership – Christian crucifix; Jewish Star of David; eye-rings and tongue studs of the hip-hop generation.
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