The first Jewellery finds date back to as early as 100,000 years ago on the slopes of Mount Carmel in Israel.  Nassarius shells were used and holes drilled in them with a flint tool, then strung on some kind of cord and worn.  Perforated beads suggesting shell Jewellery made from sea snail shells have also been found dating back 75,000 years at Blombos Cave. In Kenya, at Enkapune Ya Muto, beads made from perforated ostrich egg shells have been dated to more than 40,000 years ago. It is thought that jewellery was used as a sign of wealth or for showing others they were a member of a certain group.   Jewellery was important and had great meaning, from the ability to ward off evil,  to a way of holding hair up or to tie clothing.

Later, the European early modern humans had crude necklaces and bracelets of bone, teeth, berries, and stone hung on pieces of string or animal sinew, or pieces of carved bone used to Secure Clothing together. In some cases, jewellery had shell or mother-of-pearl pieces. Around about seven-thousand years ago, the first sign of copper jewellery was seen.

As the Romans conquered most of Europe, jewellery really started to accelerate in design and materials used across the empire from Africa to Britain. Learning mostly from the Egyptians and Greeks the romans turned jewellery into an art form. The most common artifact of early Rome was the brooch, which was used to secure clothing together. The Romans used a diverse range of materials for their jewellery from their extensive resources across the continent. But as it was in Egypt, gold is what mattered to the romans.

The Celts specialised in Continuous Patterns and designs, while Merovingian designs are best known for stylised animal figures. They were not the only groups known for high quality work. The Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Franco-Germanic races all had ornate designs of continuous patterns and shapes.

Part two will come next week