Thursday, August 13, 2009

Jewelry - Strictly Metal

Although a lot of the focus in many of the magazine and fashion shows is on glitzy gems and bright, sparkling diamonds there is also a lot of emphasis on the beauty of different metals themselves. There has historically as well as currently been a large following of people that love the beauty of the various metals, without the addition of gems, jewels and all those extras.

All metal jewelry is likely the historical basis of every type of jewelry. Early Greeks and Romans, Egyptians and Asians all used basic metals to create beautiful and lasting jewelry that still forms the basis of many of the styles that are now considered to be the classics. This is seen in modern jewelry as the plain or elaborate band rings, cuff style bracelets, chains and even the many different all metal styles of jewelry. Chandelier style earrings, many which are still designed with all metal features and pieces, are very similar to the ancient earrings unearthed in archaeological digs in different places in the world. Early art work and sculptures from Egyptian, Roman and Greek civilizations clearly show the importance of jewelry in these early times and for these people, both as status symbols as well as beautiful pieces.

Traditionally metals used in jewelry were silver and gold, typically because they were the easiest to mine and collect plus they were very easy to work with. Keep in mind that early jewelers really had to do everything by hand without temperature controlled melting vats and other instruments and equipment that modern jewelers now take for granted. It is also important to remember that many different types of jewelry are made by pouring molten metals into molds which are then cooled and removed, leaving the raw jewelry item for finishing, detailing and polishing. As technology advanced different metals such as platinum, palladium, titanium, tungsten carbide and even the gold and metal mixture of white gold was created and became more popular.

Completely metal jewelry can be decorative however it is not just a bare, plain surface. Many pieces of metal jewelry are very elaborately crafted and shaped, leading to intricate patterns and designs either by adding additional metals to the surface or by detailing the surface to make it look carved. A great example of this is the silver jewelry that is seen in both Bali and Indonesia, highly detailed and designed in patterns that look like weaving and in filigree styles. Two tone or even three tone all metal types of jewelry are very popular both for wedding bands, bracelets, pendants, watches and almost every other type of jewelry imaginable. There is a unique type of jewelry known as Black Hills Gold that is actually a style of jewelry that includes different colors ranging from yellow, green and rose gold. Typical patterns found in traditional Black Hills gold pieces include grape leaves, vines and patterns found in nature. Only pieces made in the Black Hills of South Dakota can be marketed as Black Hills gold.

Amy Carrington is a fashion maven and an editor at http://www.SorellaJewelry.com Sorella creates personalized jewelry with the names, words, dates and Chinese symbols that matter to you.

cartier watches
invicta watches

No comments: