From rings in our noses to bling on our toes, we’ve long loved adorning, decorating and embellishing every possible displayable inch. Starting 75,000 years ago, when our prehistoric sisters festooned themselves in feathers, stylish shells, and protected themselves with necklaces made of shark teeth and twine. When the ancient world discovered metalworking, royals and nobles preened in gold, silver and gems and the style mavens of the status-conscious world of the medieval and Renaissance European courts delighted in being better able to pull sartorial rank on each other. And where turquoise, jasper, lapis lazuli and carnelian had been favorites of the Pharaohs, the Tudor and Elizabethan periods were studded in glittery rubies, emeralds, blue sapphires, black pearls, and diamonds.
Today, many of us bling for different reasons; rather than dazzling or trouncing, jewelry is a way to reach out, bond, communicate with your tribe. After all, "there's a battle outside and it is ragin'," sang Dylan. "For the times, they are a -changing."
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