The word jewellery comes from the French word jouel, which comes from the latin word jocale, which means ‘plaything’. Americans call it jewelry, but everyone else calls it jewellery.

Jewelry has been worn for thousands of years for both decorative and symbolic purposes. The oldest known jewelry pieces are 100,000-year-old Nassarius shell beads. The use of gemstones in jewelry can be traced back to prehistoric times.

The very first diamond was found in India in the 4th century and they quickly became highly valued. Until the 18th century, people thought that India was the only source of diamonds. In 1866, a diamond over 21 carats was found in South Africa.

A large, perfect, gem quality ruby is worth more than a similar sized diamond.

The tradition of giving an engagement ring dates back to ancient times when people believed that the vein in the fourth finger (“ring finger”) of the left hand was connected directly to the heart, making it the perfect place to wear a symbol of love and commitment.

In ancient Rome, it was traditional for a groom to give his bride a ring made of iron as a symbol of their binding agreement.

The idea of engagement rings wasn’t a tradition until Maximilian, the Archduke of Austria, gave his beloved Mary of Burgundy a ring as a promise of the impending nuptials back in 1477. This influenced those of higher social class and significant wealth to give diamond rings to their loved ones. This caught on and today engagement rings are very popular.

Sapphires come in every color, except red. That’s because red sapphires are known as rubies. They are almost identical and both are made of the same corundum mineral. The change in the stone’s color is due to trace minerals. Titanium and iron both result in a blue color of sapphires. A ruby’s red color comes from trace amounts of chromium in the stone.

The only two gemstones formed in the earth’s mantle are diamonds and peridot. Although they’re formed deep within the mantle, they are mined in the earth’s crust where all other gemstones (except pearls) are mined too.

Peridot is the only gem that comes in a single color, green.

Platinum is much rarer than all other precious metals. The annual output is 15 times less than that of gold and 100 times less than that of silver.

The largest gem quality diamond ever found was unearthed in South Africa in 1905. The famous Cullinan Diamond was recorded at 3,106 carats and weighed 1.3 pounds. The diamond was cut into 105 smaller parts and is part of the British Royal family’s crown jewels.

Opals contain between 3 and 30 percent water.

Nearly all of the gold found on earth is from space and came from meteorites that crashed into earth. The use of gold dates back to ancient civilizations such as Egypt and Mesopotamia.

The world’s largest gold nugget weighed over 200 pounds and is known as the “Welcome Stranger”. It was discovered in Australia in 1869.

The oldest known gold artifacts are from the graves of the Varna Necropolis in Bulgaria from around 4500 BC.

The art of enameling (coating metal with a layer of colored glass) has been used in jewelry making for thousands of years. There are examples dating back to ancient Egypt.

Amethyst is quartz with a purple hue.

The use of pearls in jewelry can be traced back to ancient civilizations, such as Greece and Rome. It was considered a symbol of wealth and luxury.

Jade is usually thought of as a green stone, but it has also been found in lavender, yellow, red, and blue. In ancient China, jade was considered more valuable than gold and was used to create intricate carvings and jewelry.

The art of cameo carving reached its height of popularity in the 18th century. Cameos were often used to create intricate portraits of famous figures.

The ancient Egyptians knew how to alloy copper and tin to make bronze, which is harder and stronger than copper. It is a technique still used today for some kinds of jewelry.

Lab grown diamonds are chemically identical to organic diamonds and are created from tiny pieces of pre-existing diamonds. Natural diamonds are made by heat, pressure, and a lot of time. In a lab, this process is much faster. The diamonds are blasted with heat in a high-pressure environment, creating diamonds in days.

Amber is fossilized tree resin. It must be at least a million years old to qualify as amber.

In ancient Egypt, jewelry was not just decorative but also had religious and symbolic significance. Both men and women wore earrings as a sign of wealth and status. The scarab beetle was a symbol of rebirth and renewal and was often used in jewelry.

Men didn’t routinely wear wedding rings until the 20th century. Advertising made the wearing of wedding rings popular among men (along with other jewelry). By the mid-1940s, 85% of North American weddings involved rings for both partners.