subject: Beaded Jewelry Going Back In Time [print this page] . It is difficult to establish a specific time and date when the first beaded item of jewelry was produced, and this is because we have been wearing them from the dawn of man kind. The very first actual beads that have been discovered from a cave in eastern Morocco date back to almost 80,000 years!
Historical significance of beaded jewelry
If we look back, we can find objects crafted with natural beads like a seashell or an animal bone or teeth which were usually attached to a plant fiber as late as the Ice Age. Initially such jewelry consisted of an array of bones and stones that huntsmen picked up from their kill. They used this for protection against evil and strongly believed that they carried the spirit of the animal the bone came from. Over time, however, beaded jewelry had started to become a status symbol.
Different cultures associate beads with varying spiritual beliefs, customs and traditions. During the Stone Age, beads were used primarily as a thing of beauty; occasionally they would also trade or buy with beaded jewelry or beads. The use of semi-precious stone beads started about 2800 BC and since then, beaded jewelry has become more and more popular. We, both men and women alike, have carried forward the tradition of using this form of jewelry over the ages.
Perhaps the most popular form of beaded jewelry is glass jewellry that was common in Mesopotamia around 2180 BC. Beaded jewelry was commonly found buried with wealthy pharaohs in the ancient tombs of Egypt. Mass production of beads didnt start until the 1800s when glass beads became widely available. It was at this time that Swarovski created their process for making their special beads.
Glass beads were popular then and are popular now because of their durability and inexpensive pricing. Beads can be crafted from almost any material. These vary from corals, precious metals, gem stones, crystals, glass, wood, and stones. Moreover, some of the beads, nowadays, are even being made from plastic.
Beaded jewelry is just as popular today as it was in ancient times. Beads may no longer serve as symbols of status, wealth and heritage, instead they represents a persons unique style preference and personality. Beading jewelry can be custom made in almost any style and combination of beads. Moreover availability of online catalogues for beaded jewelry makes buying easy as it saves the hassle of roaming from one store to another looking for the right type of beads or jewelry. Remember every time you wear beaded jewelry you are carrying a rich tradition forward.
