Necklace Pendants History

One of the earliest types of bodily adornment was the necklace pendant. Early man (or woman) liked to put a little hole in a pretty rock and slip a cord made from a vine or grass through it so it could be worn around the neck. Later on a stone might be polished or even carved into a shape.

Sometimes shells were used for this purpose. And even a dried seahorse might serve when worn around the neck. I think my red seahorse pendant serves the same purpose!

Many times stones were strung together, and perhaps a larger more elaborate piece might be used to get the attention of an observer. That’s what I like about my sterling silver bunny pin pendant design. In fact, all of my pin pendants have that in common; they are large enough to really get noticed!

Once ancient man discovered the wonderful properties of gold, he began to focus on crafting jewelry from this malleable and beautiful metal. Notice the detail in the expressive gold guinea pig pendant, the golden retriever necklace pendant and the 14k monkey hanging from his tail.

Some of the ancient Egyptian gold necklaces consisted of a number of pendants strung together, separated by beads in between. I’ve seen photos of some lovely gold leaves strung in this way. The gold is quite thin and was probably hammered out.

Then, as now, animals figured as important components of the designs. Maybe in ancient Egypt the honored bird might be an ibis or a vulture. My pendant necklace of an African Grey parrot takes the place of a vulture, but I have nothing against those scavengers- they are an important part of Earth’s ecology.

I have a lot of affinity for ancient Egyptian jewelry, probably because of their use of animals as an important theme. The scarab beetle figured large in many of their designs. I have my own little beetle, a lady bug!  This colorful pendant looks great with just about any color you might want to wear.

In ancient and even modern India precious stones are used artistically to amazingly beautiful effect. I have a book of ancient jewelry with a breathtakingly gorgeous necklace made from gold, emeralds, rubies, diamonds and pearls.

For colorful necklaces, I don’t have any gemstones. However, my rich blue butterfly necklace with a hint of sparkle has its own beauty. It just proves that you can wear stunning jewelry without having to take out a second mortgage on your house! And speaking of color, you might want to take a quick look at my shimmery frog necklace in green or red.

Pendants can be in a non-precious metal and still be lovely- not all ancient jewelry was cast in gold or silver. I have a growing number of pewter necklaces in my line. You might enjoy the mischievous look of the playful kitty pendant, or the dachshund leaping up for a treat.

Pendant necklaces come in different colors, metals, stones and materials. I think it’s wonderful that artistic diversity is as much a part of jewelry making today as it’s ever been.

Posted by Merry Rosenfield on April 21, 2008 9:45 PM