The history of costume jewellery is a long and colourful one. It can be traced back to ancient civilisations such as the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, although it wasn’t always called ‘Silver Rings‘ then. Costume jewellery has been around for thousands of years. Jewellery such as earrings in Sri Lanka, remain a favourite accessory for both men and women.
Costume jewellery can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, as well as the Romans. Ancient Egyptians used jewellery to depict the wealth and status of a person. They also believed jewellery could ward off evil spirits, which was especially important for people travelling, like merchants who traded goods between regions.
Greeks used jewellery as part of their daily lives to show social standing and hierarchy within society. Their costumes included extravagant accessories such as earrings, as well as necklaces and bracelets. In fact, the Greeks believed that jewellery had magical powers. Jewellery was also a symbol of fertility for them, so if you wanted to get pregnant, wearing jewellery would help with this process. The goal? To attract love into your life!
As well as using costume jewellery in their daily lives, ancient Romans used it within theatrical plays too (such as during Roman gladiator fights). This is where we see some similarities between modern day costumes and the past; today’s Halloween costumes are inspired by characters from movies or TV shows which were popular years ago.
Although they weren’t used much in Europe at all until about 500-600AD (when Christianity started spreading across countries), Arabs definitely used costume jewellery in order to gain power and to gain a sense of belonging. For instance, the women who were supposed to be having affairs with their King would wear jewellery which belonged specifically to him.
One way people have always used costume jewellery is as part of wedding ceremonies throughout history. The earliest form was during Roman weddings when brides wore headpieces decorated with pearls or flowers along with bracelets on their wrists made from metal chains (these are thought to have originally been designed so that men could easily grab onto them if they wanted). During this time period though, these pieces weren’t necessarily considered ‘jewellery’ but instead just materials placed upon the bride before she walked down the aisle towards her future husband.
