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Stephanie Maldonado Mary Jayne Davis 24 February 2014 English 2010

Maldonado 3 One of the best ways to make ourselves extra beautiful is by adding on a fine piece of jewelry like some charming earrings, a diamond necklace, or a glittery bangle bracelet. Jewelry can be a symbol of prestige and power reflecting status in society or it can simply be as decorative item used on our body. Jewelry is very different all around the world; every culture has their own styles and designs. The majority of cultures and countries wear and show off the different styles of rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and other ornaments considered jewelry. All over the world jewelry varies with the patterns and symbols, and meanings of why they are worn. Jewelry is made up of a vast variety of materials; gold, silver, titanium, other precious metals, beads, gems, stones, and engravings of words or objects. Women are the most consistent wearers of jewelry.
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Rings are perhaps the most purchased and often worn item of jewelry in the world. They often are worn on any or all fingers and toes. They are used as a fashion statement. There are many types of rings. The most popular and known to be worn would be the wedding ring. The wedding ring is usually a round gold band that is worn on

the left hand on the fourth finger because a certain vein is connected to the heart. It is a symbol of marriage and fidelity. There is the engagement ring; it is typically a very expensive diamond ring a man gives to a woman when he proposes

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marriage. Traditionally, the ring should be worth 3 months salary of the man. Graduation rings are also very trendy, they show off the year you graduated, what school you attended, and express any extracurricular activates you may have participated in, like sports, drama or art with colored stones and engravings. Other popular rings would be the lucky ring, which has lucky

Maldonado 4 charms like an elephant, a horseshoe, a clover and the number 7 for good luck. Rings that represent what fraternity you take part of in college. Heirlooms; a ring or any type of jewelry or antique passed down from generations. There are also fashion rings that are worn just for fun. Mood rings are rings that change color depending on the body temperature or mood you are in. Fashion rings are an affordable, and enjoyable to wear because they compliment your outfit and your hand. For a farther way to compliment the hand, something that has worn since six thousand years and is considered a pure statement of fashion is the bracelet. Bracelets are ornaments that are worn both by women and men for years and
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used as sign of rank. They are made from any type of metal, plastic, or leather and generally they are decorated with jewels, rocks, crystals, pearls, engravings and beads. A very popular type of bracelet is the charm bracelet. It is a chain worn on the wrist and all around it holds small charms and trinkets that express what you like and enjoy, symbols, and other tokens. It was Queen Victoria of England who made the charm bracelet popular in the 19th century. The armlet she wore had small lockets with photos of her family. Another type of a charm bracelet is they Italian charm bracelet designed in Italy. It is a stretchy band hooked together by small flat pieces. Each piece can be personalized and can have any type of symbol, image or design on it of anything you love. Some fun and fashionable bracelets are friendship bracelets, which are made handmade by using embroidery floss. There are several of styles, patterns, and colors that are used. Cuff bracelets are big and thick, those bring out the outfit, if the outfit is simple. Bead bracelets are very fashionable because they can be found anywhere and can easily be made if you go to a craft store. Beads come in so many

Maldonado 5 different colors, shapes, and figures. When homemade, it is impossible to find another bracelet like that. Bracelets are a great way to express yourself by being fashionable. A necklace is an attractive piece of jewelry that is worn around the neck and it is a universal form of jewelry found in most of all ancient cultures. It is believed that they are to be as old as 40,000 years. The oldest necklaces are made purely of natural materials like shells, bones, animal teeth, skins, feathers, wood and colorful seeds. Most necklaces now are made up of gold,
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silver, titanium, white gold, or sterling silver. The types of necklaces include chokers which sit high on the neck, a princess necklace that is a little longer that a chocker, a matinee necklace which typically rests on the chest, an opera necklace is long and it sits on the breastbone, and a lariat necklace is a very long necklace that is draped multiple times around the neck. When modesty is a must, the sophisticated woman ensures that her necklace matches her earrings. (Childers). Earrings are a beautiful way to bring attention and frame the face. Designs are extraordinary and range from small hoops and studs to large and dangling pieces. Stud earrings are a small pair made up from a small component that fits on the earlobe and does not dangle down. Stud earrings are very common; they are small stylish attention grabbers. They cover the lobe, showing only the front. Hoop earrings are also very common; they are in a circular design and
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vary in sizes. Dangle earrings are designed to flow from the bottoms of the

earlobes; there are assorted lengths from the ear, all the way to the shoulders. Those are more provocative. Bajoran earrings are the most in style earrings today. In figure 5, the earring is

Maldonado 6 attached from the earlobe to the rim of the ear, making it look very well and charming. It is believed that they were originated in Western Asia about 5,000 years ago. Egyptians and Assyrians used earrings to indicate the fact that they belong to a higher class. In ancient Rome earrings were worn only by slaves, whereas in Greece they were for prostitutes. Wealthy Greek and Roman women wore earrings of pearls, topaz, and sapphires to display their social status. Other in style types of jewelry are brooches, watches, belt buckles, lorgnettes, costume jewelry, hair adornments, and body jewelry. Brooches are jewelry that is worn on clothes, kind of like a pin. It is a nice and decorative way of praising your outfit. They are not very common nowadays. Although many
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women still wear them for special and elegant events. A watch is spring driven time keeper, but unlike the original clock, it is used jewelry. It is small enough to be carried around on the person. Many people do not use them anymore to tell time, they now use phone, they use it as a way of showing of modishness or elegance. Traditionally, a well dressed man, or man of high class wears watches appropriate for informal, semi-formal, and formal events. Gold, thin, simple, and plain, but increasingly rugged,

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complicated, or sports watches are considered to be acceptable. Belt buckles are very common with the teenagers today. A simple belt is transformed when a belt buckle is placed. They go in the front and it can be showed off when the shirt is tucked in. It looks very chic depending on what design or object it has in front. A lorgnette is a pair of glasses with a handle, used to hold them in place, rather than fitting over the ears. They were invented by George Adams in the 1900s. The lorgnette is not used anymore but it was usually used as a piece of jewelry, rather

Maldonado 7 than to improve eye vision. Women of high class preferred them over eyeglasses. These were very popular at masquerade parties and operas. An anklet is a bracelet that is worn on the ankle and is made up of silver, gold, leather, beads, or pearls. For many years they have been worn by both women and men. Particularly in India and other liberal minded countries, they were for women; it was a symbol that they were unmarried. In Africa, anklets play an important role in the social life of the younger women. They are called jabo and they are used to attract younger men. In more modern cultures, women and men wear the popular leather anklets in a surfer and skater scenes. Hair adornments are a magnificent way of making your hair look beautiful. There is many kings of hair trinkets to wear; flowers and hair clips arent considered jewelry, but there is certain jewelry for the hair that keeps the hairstyle in place with elegance. Dating from 2500 BC, the tiaras and crowns were discovered. Only royalty wore those to demonstrate their wealth. They were adorned with precious gems and expensive metals. Today, body piercing is the most fashionable type of body modification where a part of the body or face is punctured to create an opening in which a piece of jewelry can be placed. The many places to have pierced include, on the ear, the most common place to have the ears pierced is on the lobe. Some people go a little farther a pierce more areas of the ear, for example, the helix or rim, forward helix, or the tragus. The nose is very frequent and they go on the side or in the middle with a small hoop or diamond. There is also piercings on the eyebrows, anywhere around the lips, in the tongue, on the nipples, and the belly button. When getting a piercing, its take a while to heal, but it is a cool way to express youself through fashion, although body piercings are not acceptable or seen as classy at times. A birthstone is a gem or a stone that symbolizes the month of birth. They are often used in personal jewelry. Januarys stone is the garnet, it is commonly thought of as a red gem, but

Maldonado 8 they come on most of the colors. They are very popular in Brazil, India and Africa. Egyptians believed that garnets were antidotes for snakebites and food poisoning. Christians believe that the color red symbolizes the passion and death of Christ. Februarys stone is the amethyst, a transparent stunning purple gem. It is Februarys stone because of Valentines Day, to attract love. Also for those who knew peace and calmness of mind. Marchs stone is the aquamarine, it got its name after the blue sea water. It represents youth, fidelity, hope and health. They are found mostly in Brazil. Aprils stone is a diamond, known as a girls best friend. It is the most desired gemstone all over the world. They are mostly found in Australia and Russia. Many years ago, they were believed to be splinters of stars that fell into Earth or they were tears of gods. Africans wear diamonds as a symbol of courage and invincibility. Mays stone is the emerald, also called the queen of gems. They are found regularly in Colombia. They are pure green with a hint of blue. In ancient times they were believed to help with self esteem and to protect the wearer on long journeys. Junes stone is the well known, pearl, although it is not considered to be a stone. Pearls are created by a grain of sand that makes its way inside the shell of an oyster. It is a symbol of modesty and purity and often worn by brides. Julys stone is the divine ruby. Greeks believed that rubies contained a bright spark from the planet Mars. In Hindu they called rubies, lord of the gems. Augusts stone is a peridot,

Maldonado 9 sometimes called the evening emerald. It is a glowing bright green color. It symbolizes eloquence and persuasiveness. It is worn to get rid of nightmares and evil. Septembers stone is the stunning sapphire, a amazing deep blue, also in orange, pink and purple. They were known to have the power of stopping the bleeding or diseases of the eye. Many years ago, it was believed that sapphires would not shine if worn by evil or unfaithful people. Octobers stone is an opal. Rumor says that it is bad luck to wear it if it is not your birthstone. But many people wear it anyway because it represents hope, and innocence. It is the king of all gems because it presents all the colors of the rainbow. Novembers stone is the citrine. It is found mainly in Brazil. It is known by ancient times to get rid of plague, bad thoughts, skin conditions, and bites from poisonous reptiles. And Decembers stone is the blue topaz. It gives strength and has powers to cure. Its cools down tempers, restores sanity, relives insomnia, and wards of sudden death. Not only does every month have a specific gem, but so do the days of the week. Monday is a pearl, Tuesday is a garnet, Wednesday is a cats eye, Thursday is a emerald, Friday is a topaz, Saturday is a sapphire and Sunday is ruby. Being creative and making your own jewelry is a fantastic and fun way to express your imagination and passion. In many parts of the world, jewelry is not just ornamental; each piece is represented and worn for a particular reason. Jewelry is not only to show off your wealth, it is now to show off your style and to grab attention in a hip and cool way.