Necklace

Historical Development of Necklaces

• Neolithic Talc Necklace
• Prehistoric use of natural materials like feathers, bone, shells, and plants
• Bronze Age transition to metallic jewelry
• Ancient Near East depiction of necklaces in art
• Early European necklaces with precious metals and inset stones
• Ancient Mesopotamia's use of cylinder seals as jewelry
• Ancient Babylon's necklaces made from carnelian, lapis lazuli, agate, and gold
• Ancient Sumerians' creation of necklaces and beads from gold, silver, lapis lazuli, and carnelian
• Ancient Egypt's various necklace types made of organic or semi-precious and precious materials
• Ancient Crete's necklaces worn by all classes, with different materials for peasants and the wealthy

Evolution of Necklaces in Non-Classical European Cultures

• 2000 BC – AD 400: Bronze amulets embossed with coral
• Celtic and Gallic Europe's preference for heavy metal torc necklaces
• AD 400 - 1300: Early European barbarian groups favoring wide, intricate gold collars
• Germanic tribes' gold and silver necklaces with complex detailing and inlaid stones
• Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian silver neck-rings with patterns and animal forms

Necklaces in the Renaissance to Baroque Period

• Men wearing chains, plaques, and pendants in the Renaissance
• Wealthy men wearing shoulder-covering collars with gems by the end of the 15th century
• Long pearl ropes and chains with precious stones in the 1500s-1600s
• Baroque period's unsophisticated necklaces for women, including simple strands of pearls or delicately linked metal strands with small stones
• Portrait pendants, lockets, and miniature portraits as pendants in the 1600s-1700s

Cultural Significance and Fashion Trends of Necklaces

• Necklaces as symbols of wealth, beauty, and spirituality
• Ceremonial and religious use of necklaces in different cultures
• Protective or healing properties attributed to certain necklaces
• Necklaces as a form of self-expression and personal style
• Influence of court gowns, Greek-inspired designs, and gem-encrusted collars in fashion trends
• Opulent necklaces that can be dismantled and reconfigured into shorter necklaces, brooches, and bracelets

Necklaces in East Asian and Oceania Cultures

• Qing dynasty China's court necklace called chaozhu
• Chinese culture's tradition of wearing necklaces with longevity lock pendants
• Evolution of the ring-like neck ornament yingluo into a classical form of necklace in Chinese society
• Aboriginal Tasmanian women's tradition of making shell necklaces
• Threat to the tradition of making shell necklaces and efforts to preserve it
• Different styles, shapes, and materials of yingluo necklaces in present-day China
• Cultural significance and continued practice of making shell necklaces in Oceania

Necklace Mentions

Necklace Data Sources