Humans through the ages have, it seems, always loved a bit of bling! As far back as the Neolithic period, people were fashioning decorative beads and talismans from pretty stones to decorate themselves, their clothing and their environments. Examples of ancient ‘jewellery’ such as this have been excavated just about everywhere that humans settled and there are many fascinating specimens on display in our museums, including my local – Belfast’s Ulster Museum.
Ancient civilizations such as the Sumerians, Greeks and Egyptians also used crystals as part of religious rituals and magic formulas, for example to promote healing, and healing crystals are still widely used today in holistic approaches to wellbeing.
In more modern times we have a much wider array of precious and semi-precious stones available to us, in a myriad of colours and hailing from all parts of the world. Many of these are reputed to endow the wearer with various properties.
So, if you want to imply everlasting love and inner peace, give a piece of jewellery which incorporates rose quartz. For good fortune and prosperity, it’s green aventurine. And for relief from stress and anxiety, always wear your amethysts!
You can view my range of handcrafted silver jewellery, including some with the beautiful stones mentioned above, at:
