Limited Edition Jewellery: from Ancient Times to Nowadays

The history of jewelry is not a listing of “trinkets”. It is a science that can be considered as a worthy assistant to history, archaeology, sociology and other disciplines. The development of world fashion is also the development of world culture. Materials and forms of jewelry, methods of processing and design of accessories, change of “precious” trends and tendencies from affordable to limited edition jewellery help to trace the stages of development of the individual nation culture and the whole world during our millennial evolution.

Limited Edition Jewellery Collection in the Ancient States

It is believed that Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome are considered some of the first civilizations to use jewelry in its modern purpose. There is a connection with the discovery of the most demanded noble metals as gold and silver. The fact is that since then, metalworking has become a craft and caused the first “real” jewelers’ appearance.

The jewels created by Egyptian jewelers were perfect in terms of both design and execution. Actually, it was one of the first nations which began to produce limited precious accessories. There are two products can be called the main and most common:

Ring.
Egypt is the birthplace of this accessory, and only people in power had the right to wear them. First of all, large numbers of rings adorned the hands of the pharaohs. We can find the exclusive and finite collections of pharaohs’ accessories in the London Jewellery Museum.

Beads, necklaces and pendants.
Of course, the tradition of wearing beads was not invented by the Egyptians. But they famously picked it up, especially often using pendants in the form of heart, eye or scarab.

If Egyptian jewelry was as massive, voluminous and heavy as possible, the skill of Greek jewelers proved that the most complicated work of a master can “give birth” to a light and elegant accessory. The elegance so valued today is our ancient heritage, which is in our blood.

Today’s excavations show that ancient masters who made jewelry from gold and precious stones amaze with the filigree subtlety of their work, skill and precise elaboration of even the smallest details. Greeks could master all the available techniques such as engraving, forging, casting, carving and enameling to create the best accessory for common people and noblemen.

The Greek traditions were continued by the jewelers of ancient Rome. Moreover, jewelry in the times of late antiquity became so widespread that it became simply indecent not to wear any. People of high social status adorned themselves with gold, but for merchants and townspeople only silver was an option.

The main thing about antique jewelry is its rich symbolism. Each product meant a lot to its owner, in fact, also being a kind of talisman and amulet. The value of such a talisman is indescribable, especially if this product is in a single copy.

Middle Ages and Renaissance Collections

The Middle Ages is a difficult period for the culture of Europe due to the active spread of Christianity. Religious ethics have replaced ancient rules and norms of life for people, accordingly, jewelry has also changed. Firstly, monasteries became the main centres of their manufacture, and monks were the main jewelers. Secondly, jewelry began to reflect the faith of a person, and became a symbol of Christianity.

The church has never been a poor organization, and therefore could afford to make really expensive jewelry, train monks-jewelers, and profitably sell jewelry accessories. Noble people competed in the level of their wealth, ordering luxurious necklaces and rings, made by the hands of the best European jewelers.

As for the Renaissance period, the jewellery again became individualized. Craftsmen began to pay close attention to the beauty of precious minerals, their color, shine and radiance. Exactly in this era, the diamond entered the world of jewelry. A novelty among the limited collections of jewelry was the use of flora and fauna images, an unprecedented variety of forms and styles.

In the 18th-19th centuries, various people, not just noble aristocrats, could buy a precious accessory. Jewelry-making work was gradually becoming more automated. This means that the jewelry itself became cheaper. However, in this case it appeared even simpler, “more common”. It is absolutely clear that people wanted something unique and so it caused a boom of limited collections from different jewelry artists and organizations.

Sybarite Jewellery Limited Edition Collection Nowadays

The beginning of the twentieth century is Modern. Jeweler skill is now seen as an art, and it is considered improper to think otherwise. New materials and methods appear, jewelry factories are opened, which makes it possible to reduce the cost of the final product, manual labour is still appreciated.

It has become easier to find an exceptional collection for yourself depending on the features. Various brands present their jewelry not only in brick-and-mortar stores, but also online on sites such as sybaritejewellery.com, both for the wealthy and the middle class.

Although jewelry collections might be literally created every year, some trends remain timeless. Fashion trends today are more of a recommendation list than rigid taboos and prohibitions.