When you look at how jewelry has an impact on society, you must first learn the way jewelry has been used throughout history. Jewelry has been used in many different ways such as showing the rank of those in society. In ancient Rome, only individuals with high ranks could wear jewelry.
Glancing through history you will find various ways in which jewelry has been used. At one time it was used as currency, to display a persons wealth, symbolism for membership in a certain sector of society, functional uses such as buckles, pins, and clasps, protection such as crosses and amulets, and last but not least as an artistic display.
Even today, you can find jewelry used as a form of currency, by the practice of keeping large amounts of precious jewelry hidden away in deposit boxes, chests in our home, bank vaults, or other secure areas. In past years, this jewelry could be traded for other items and still can be throughout the US only it is mainly reserved for pawnshops where you sell the jewelry in order to purchase other items.
In a young ladies dowry, you would often find items of jewelry that would be given to the groom at the time of the wedding. Today, jewelry has been replaced with a hope chest. The young girl now, places items in her hope chest instead of her father adding money or jewelry. The hope chest today is nothing like a dowry of the past since usually it only holds household items.
When it comes to such items as pins, brooches, and buckles these were usually functional items that held clothing together. Today, these are used more as decorative items.
Symbolic jewelry can be seen in many areas of society such as the Christian crucifix, Jewish Star of David, alumni rings of universities, school class rings, among others. All of these show a membership in a certain group in society. Even the wearing of wedding rings in the Western culture is a symbol of love and marriage. Symbolic jewelry shows the belief in your religion, the honor of being a member of a club, or even as simple as a mothers ring given to her by her children. All are symbolic of belonging.
Some cultures wear jewelry to ward off evil or bad luck. Some of jewelry items used is symbols like the ankh, stones, plants, animals, Khamsa, and glyphs. Each one warding off a certain evil or drawing in good luck to the person wearing the item.
However, religion does a play a huge part in how much jewelry a person wears. Many cultures forbid the excessive wearing of jewelry and wearing gold by men is a prohibited by Islam society.
The media, the rich and famous, and of course advertisements set the trend today. Before the 20th century, only women wore wedding rings. The industry decided to come up with a false history claiming that men wearing engagement and wedding ring had roots back to Medieval times. The trend for wedding rings caught on but the engagement rings for men when by the way side. In the 1940s’, 85% of weddings in the U.S. featured a double-ring ceremony. If you see a movie star, wearing the jewelry before long everyone that can afford the jewelry or a replica of the item will soon be adorning his or her body with the piece.
