The desire to decorate oneself arose long before the advent of primary metal processing. According to research by paleontologists, the first jewelry worn around the neck dates back to the Paleolithic period, that is, 10 millennium BC. The primitive accessory was a small sea shell with a hole on top, into which, apparently, something resembling a modern chain was threaded.
@sofya_prekrasnaya
It is noteworthy that the first jewelry was worn only by men, and such accessories were worn exclusively for informational purposes. Ancient shamans decorated their necks with the teeth and fangs of sacrificed predators. According to legend, such a ritual guaranteed the sorcerers the acquisition of strength and courage of the defeated animal. Wearing the bones of an animal or its eyes endowed it with magical powers and secret knowledge. The first chains were woven from flexible wood threads tightly intertwined. This weaving made it possible to carry quite heavy objects on this cord.
The ancient Egyptians believed that amulets made of metal and bones symbolized divine power.It was considered the most significant and valuable in that era to have an accessory made from the shell of the sacred scarab beetle. It was this beetle, according to legend, that was a symbol of rebirth after death and granted eternal life to its owner. This decoration was worn on a leather or fabric cord; it was considered the most prestigious in that era.
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The first chains woven from precious metals appeared about 3 thousand years ago on the territory of Ancient Egypt. These products were kept in the treasuries of the pharaoh, and only noble people could decorate their necks and hands with them. During archaeological excavations of Egyptian tombs, countless riches were found, which in ancient times were necessarily buried with the owner.
A wealth of silver, gold and precious metal jewelry from that millennium now adorns the shelves of the world's most famous museums. It is interesting that at that time in Babylon and Assyria, silver was valued much higher than gold. Firstly, it was much more difficult to mine this metal, and secondly, silver, unlike gold, has always been associated with the moon and was considered a sacred element.
In the Roman Empire, on the contrary, gold jewelry was an element of luxurious life, and silver was worn by merchants and artisans.
With the development of jewelry in the Middle Ages, chains began to be woven, connecting the links together. Even then, spool makers understood that soldering was required to obtain a homogeneous product. Ancient soldering irons were heated by an open flame and used to produce a closed ring. Such rings were soldered to each other, creating an unbreakable chain. The main disadvantage of this work by the jewelers was that the finished product lost all flexibility and was completely impossible to bend.
@makkaserebro925
The court jewelers of the French royal court found a way out of the situation. They made each link of the chain separately, and then inserted the links into each other and did not solder them, but simply bent the metal.
Nowadays, few people weave jewelry chains by hand, because machines have appeared that produce finished products in whole batches much faster.
Today, there are three types of chain creation:
@zolotaya_moskva
Handmade is the most delicate and highly paid; such products are considered the highest quality and most wear-resistant. Machines make chains with small links, and the stamping method is used when ready-made chain links are threaded into each other and lightly secured, without even using soldering irons. This option for creating jewelry is the most budget-friendly, but the least quality.
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