Has it ever crossed your mind as to why we wear jewelry and where the tradition stems from?

According to the Victoria & Albert Museum and the International Gem Society,  jewelry has been a form of adornment since ancient times and often began as functional objects, such as brooches to hold garments in place, rings and pendants used as seals of identification. In ancient times jewelry was made from accessible materials of the time such as bones, pebbles and feathers, often worn for spiritual reasons, for protection or used to symbolize hierarchy or authority or as symbol of wisdom and power, such as can be evidenced in the Native American culture.

Handmade styles featuring wood and ethically sourced bone:

     

 

In ancient Egypt gold was buried with the dead to take into the afterlife. Materials used in jewelry and the perceived value of them changed as times changed, as did the methods of metal-working and jewelry making all over the world.

Best-selling gold mixed metal styles:

 

According to Cultural India the love of using jewelry as adornment dates back 5000 years. In India, jewelry is also used to show status as it is in Europe. Jewelry is used to adorn many parts of the body which has also become more popular in Western cultures in modern times. Gold is most commonly used and also used to decorate gods and goddesses worshipped in the culture. The gifting of jewelry for auspicious occasions such as the birth of a child or as a wedding gift is a long-standing tradition. Traditional jewelry designs vary from region to region, in the same way languages, cultural traditions and traditional attire do. The art of metal jewelry making techniques as well as cutting and polishing precious and semi-precious stones is an age old tradition and often passed down from one generation to the next. 

Handmade Sterling Silver Timeless Heirloom Collections:

The tradition of adornment continues to persist in modern times. We like to wear things that make us look or feel good or something that carries some meaning or benefit for our lives. At Matr Boomie, our design team based in Austin, TX work hand in hand with artisan jewelry makers in India to design contemporary jewelry pieces which are made using age-old techniques.

Check out this video for a peak into a day in the lives of our team at work.