The jewels are as old as the history of man, dating back to the cave days in South Africa some 100,000 years ago in the form of seashells tied around the neck. Man’s original jewelry was also made up of teeth, carved stone, wood, and bone. Function follows form, as this type of jewelry was probably used to tie loose clothing to the body and progressed to a type of aesthetic adornment. Throughout much of jewelry history, the wearer displayed status and wealth by adorning the body with jewelry. Cro-Magnon man began making jewelry when migration to Europe from the Middle East occurred 40,000 years ago. Metallurgy, the use of metals to make jewelry, appeared 7,000 years ago in the form of copper ornaments.

The ancient Egyptians along the Nile Delta began using gold for thousands of years, dating back 5,000 years. Jewelry was a symbol of religious authority and supremacy for many kings, queens, and empires. Egyptian men and women began to use scarabs as sacred items and protection from evil spirits. The beetles represented rebirth, starting from the behavior of the dung beetle rolling its dung and incubating its young in this ball of dung. The Egyptians wore jewelry to adorn the corpses that helped the dead travel to the afterlife, providing them with comfort and protection. Many grave robbers recycled jewelry by looting grave jewelry and adorning new kings. Pharaoh Tuntankamón (King Tut) stands out in history as the most famous jeweled king, although his 9-year reign from 1336-1327 BC was quite insignificant and his tomb was most likely forgotten when the Egyptians cleaned the tombs of other kings. The Egyptians attributed a symbolic meaning to the color of precious stones. Green glass or precious stones were the symbols of fertility and were used to ensure the abundance of new crops. In the Book of the Dead it is written that the god Isis must be represented by a red stone or glass, used as a figurative ornament on a necklace to provide blood to Isis. The Egyptians imported silver and lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, which were used in many forms of jewelry. Queen Cleopatra was in love with the emeralds that were mined in the Red Sea area.

In the ancient city of Ur, located in southern Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, jewelry became an important product for crafts and commerce. The people of Ur created amulets, necklaces, anklets, and cylinder seals made of fine gold leaf and set with brilliantly colored agate, carnelian, lapis lazuli, and jaspter stones. This jewelry was very popular and both men and women adorned themselves elaborately with jewelry. Gem carving or glyphic art became popular when children and women wore rings with beautifully cut stones. Mesopotamian jewelers invented some of the techniques that are still used in jewelry making and metal working today, such as granulation, filigree, cloisonne, and engraving. The motifs and designs depicted in Mesopotamian jewelry included cones, spirals, grapes, and leaves. The jewelry of the time was worn by humans and additionally used to embellish idols and statues in reverence.