orm and function

Humans have used jewellery for a number of different reasons:

functional, generally to fix clothing or hair in place

as a marker of social status and personal status, as with a wedding ring
as a signifier of some form of affiliation, whether ethnic, religious or social
to provide talismanic protection (in the form of amulets)[4]
as an artistic display
as a carrier or symbol of personal meaning � such as love, mourning, a personal
milestone or even luck
superstition[5]
Most[quantify] cultures at some point have had a practice of keeping large amounts
of wealth stored in the form of jewellery. Numerous cultures store wedding dowries
in the form of jewellery or make jewellery as a means to store or display coins.
Alternatively, jewellery has been used[by whom?] as a currency or trade good;[6] an
example being the use of slave beads.[7]

Many items of jewellery, such as brooches and buckles, originated as purely

functional items, but evolved into decorative items as their functional requirement
diminished.[8]

Jewellery can symbolise group membership (as in the case, of the Christian crucifix
or the Jewish Star of David) or status (as in the case of chains of office, or the
Western practice of married people wearing wedding rings).

Wearing of amulets and devotional medals to provide protection or to ward off evil
is common in some cultures. These may take the form of symbols (such as the ankh),
stones, plants, animals, body parts (such as the Khamsa), or glyphs (such as
stylised versions of the Throne Verse in Islamic art).[9]

Materials and methods

Hair ornament, an Art Nouveau masterpiece; by Ren� Lalique; circa 1902; gold,
emeralds and diamonds; Mus�e d'Orsay (Paris)
In creating jewellery, gemstones, coins, or other precious items are often used,
and they are typically set into precious metals. Platinum alloys range from 900
(90% pure) to 950 (95.0% pure). The silver used in jewellery is usually sterling
silver, or 92.5% fine silver. In costume jewellery, stainless steel findings are
sometimes used.

Other commonly used materials include glass, such as fused-glass or enamel; wood,
often carved or turned; shells and other natural animal substances such as bone and
ivory; natural clay; polymer clay; Hemp and other twines have been used as well to
create jewellery that has more of a natural feel. However, any inclusion of lead or
lead solder will give a British Assay office (the body which gives U.K. jewellery
its stamp of approval, the Hallmark) the right to destroy the piece, however it is
very rare for the assay office to do so.

Beads are frequently used in jewellery. These may be made of glass, gemstones,
metal, wood, shells, clay and polymer clay. Beaded jewellery commonly encompasses
necklaces, bracelets, earrings, belts and rings. Beads may be large or small; the
smallest type of beads used are known as seed beads, these are the beads used for
the "woven" style of beaded jewellery. Seed beads are also used in an embroidery
technique where they are sewn onto fabric backings to create broad collar neck
pieces and beaded bracelets. Bead embroidery, a popular type of handwork during the
Victorian era, is enjoying a renaissance in modern jewellery making. Beading, or
beadwork, is also very popular in many African and indigenous North American
cultures.
Silversmiths, goldsmiths, and lapidaries use methods including forging, casting,
soldering or welding, cutting, carving and "cold-joining" (using adhesives, staples
and rivets to assemble parts).[10]

Diamonds
Main article: Diamond

Diamonds
Diamonds were first mined in India.[11] Pliny may have mentioned them, although
there is some debate as to the exact nature of the stone he referred to as Adamas.
[12] In 2005, Australia, Botswana, Russia and Canada ranked among the primary
sources of gemstone diamond production.[13] There are negative consequences of the
diamond trade in certain areas. Diamonds mined during the recent civil wars in
Angola, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, and other nations have been labelled as blood
diamonds when they are mined in a war zone and sold to finance an insurgency.

The British crown jewels contain the Cullinan Diamond, part of the largest gem-
quality rough diamond ever found (1905), at 3,106.75 carats (621.35 g).

A diamond solitaire engagement ring

Now popular in engagement rings, this usage dates back to the marriage of
Maximilian I to Mary of Burgundy in 1477.[14]

A popular style is the diamond solitaire, which features a single large diamond
mounted prominently.[15] Within solitaire, there are 3 categories in which a ring
can be classified into: prong, bezel and tension setting.[16]