Pendants → A pendant (from Old French) is a loose-hanging piece of jewellery, generally attached by a small loop to a necklace, when the ensemble may be known as a "pendant necklace". A pendant earring is an earring with a piece hanging down. In modern French "pendant" is the gerund form of “hanging” (also meaning “during”). Pendants can have several functions, which may be combined:
Jewels → A gemstone or gem (also called a precious or semi-precious stone, a fine gem, or jewel) is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However certain rocks, (such as lapis lazuli) and organic materials (such as amber or jet) are not minerals, but are still used for jewelry, and are therefore often considered to be gemstones as well. Most gemstones are hard, but some soft minerals are used in jewelry because of their luster or other physical properties that have aesthetic value. Rarity is another characteristic that lends value to a gemstone. Apart from jewelry, from earliest antiquity until the 19th century engraved gems and hardstone carvings such as cups were major luxury art forms; the carvings of Carl Fabergé were the last significant works in this tradition.
Earrings → An Earring is a piece of jewellery attached to the ear via a piercing in the earlobe or another external part of the ear (except in the case of clip earrings, which clip onto the lobe). Earrings are worn by both sexes, although more common among women, and have been used by different civilizations in different times.
Necklaces → A necklace is an article of jewellery which is worn around the neck. Necklaces are frequently formed from a metal jewellery chain. Others are woven or manufactured from cloth using string or twine.
Watches → A watch is a small timepiece, typically worn either on the wrist or attached on a chain and carried in a pocket; wristwatches, however, are the most common type of watch used today. Watches evolved in the 17th century from spring powered clocks, which appeared in the 15th century. The first watches were strictly mechanical. As technology progressed, the mechanisms used to measure time have, in some cases, been replaced by use of quartz vibrations or electromagnetic pulses and are called quartz movements. The first digital electronic watch was developed in 1970.
Rings → A finger ring is a circular band worn as a type of ornamental jewellery around the finger; it is the most common current meaning of the word ring. Other types of metal rings worn as ornaments are also called rings, such as earrings, arm rings, toe rings and neck rings.
More on rings...
A finger ring is a circular band worn as a type of ornamental jewellery around the finger; it is the most common current meaning of the word ring. Other types of metal rings worn as ornaments are also called rings, such as earrings, arm rings, toe rings and neck rings.
Rings can be of almost any material: metal, plastic, wood, bone, glass, gemstone to name a few. They may be set with a stone of some sort, which is often a precious or semi-precious gemstone such as diamond, ruby, sapphire or emerald, but can also be of almost any material.
History
The custom of giving and receiving finger rings dates back over approximately 6,000 years. Tracing exact history is difficult.
Ancient Near East
The Hittite civilization produced rings including signet rings, only a few of which have been discovered. Old Kingdom Egypt had a variety of finger rings, and a few basic examples have been found, including the famous scarab design. Egyptian rings became more common during the middle kingdom, with increasingly complex designs. The various Egyptian styles were replaced by Greek and Roman fashions during the Ptolemaic dynasty.
Archaic and classical Greek
Archaic Greek rings were to some extent influenced by Egyptian rings, although they tended to be less substantial and apparently weren't for the most part used as working signet rings. A lack of locally available gold meant that rings made in the eastern c ... Read the rest of this article