Kheops Gemstone Bracelets
According to Jodie Gearing of Bespoke Jewelry, the first jewelry was made from found objects and natural materials, for example, animal teeth, bone, shells, carved stone and wood. We believe that the first pieces of jewelry were designed as functional items, such as to fasten clothing. However, it seems that these items were later adapted to become religious or spiritual symbols and sometimes made and worn just for pure aesthetic revelry.
The first gemstones to be used were probably gathered much in the same way as food; perhaps these gems were found when picking through gravels in a dry river bed. We can only imagine what these primitive people must have thought of these alluring yet seemingly useless objects.
As mankind progressed, jewelry was used as a symbol of wealth and status, as well as to protect against harm, ward off evil, and heal ailments.