In the words of the illustrious designer Coco Chanel, "A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous".

One of the ways to become classy and fabulous is by wearing "classy and fabulous jewels"!

The ancient Egyptians were the first to experiment with gold in 3000 BC. Gold was rare, did not tarnish and could easily be made into various forms. They made metalizing jewelry, handcrafted unique jewelry, handmade wood jewelry, custom handcrafted jewelry, handcrafted beaded jewelry for applications such as collars, bracelets, necklaces, rings, earrings, head ornaments and pectoral ornaments of gold. When King Tutankhamen's tomb was discovered in 1922, it contained many gold artifacts including the King's gold funeral mask.

History shows the Greeks were the first to incorporate gems in jewelry as early as 1400 BC. The Greeks were leaders in producing beads by joining two flat pieces of gold and filling them with sand.

In the Tuscany region, the Italians experimented with gold as early as the eighth century BC. In addition to coins, one of their innovations was making pendants that were hollow and could be filled with perfume. They also incorporated gems in their works.

As a natural progression, nobility did not want common folk who were able to indulge in real jewelry to compete with them, and faux jewelry came into existence. Real gemstones and pearls originated in the east and were primarily purchased by the Italians. The Venetians and people from Murano made imitation gems and pearls from glass. These faux items were distributed throughout the world.

In the 1700's, Paris became the main producer of fake pearls. Most fake jewelry originated in Paris after 1734 due to the works of Georges Strass who discovered a compound of glass, lead oxide and potash. After 1760, the honor proceeded to England where steel was used for gem settings. Cameos were also produced by using glass and Wedgwood porcelain paste.

When Napoleon became Emperor of France in 1804, the revival of ostentatious display of jewels and elevated fashion sense evolved. Thus began the era of neo-classical style. Napoleon's family had all of the royal family gems reset in this design. He also created the popularity of cameos after he had his coronation crown set with them.

In 1837 when Queen Victoria came to the throne, jewelry was most romantic. Until that time, most jewelry was made in Europe but began to be made in America and Australia. This was also the era when Tiffany began to manufacturer jewelry in American and opened shops in important European cities.

There have been many phases of jewelry as is noted above. Some that follow are Arts and Crafts and the Art Nouveau styles.

One item that never goes out of style is the pearl. Pearls can worn by all ages, with all modes of dress and enhance any complexion. They can be fake, real freshwater or cultured and are very affordable.

Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli influenced what is known as cocktail jewelry in the 1920's. They advocated the wearing of costume or cocktail jewelry mixed with genuine gem pieces.

Movies and television have done much to influence fashion. Women want to copy the outfits worn by the actors. The glamour of the two mediums has done much to revive the use and quality of costume jewelry.

All who want to be classy and fabulous should have an adequate wardrobe of fine jewelry along with faux to be considered well groomed as well as adding a dash of panache to one's personality.

Learn more about this author, Dave Zimmerman.
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