Turqouise Jewelry and the Necklace: Cultures in History

The necklace is a piece of jewelry that can be traced back throughout history as being worn by both men and women. They were often used as ways to make a distinction among many cultures.

Historians and archeologists have discovered that the necklace originated maybe forty thousand years before originally believed. In South Africa they have excavated a cave that had over 41 mollusks that were strung as possible neck jewelry nearly 75,000 years ago.
Earlier archeologist had believed the oldest known finding was from 30,000 B.C. It was made of stones, animal teeth and bones and claws and shells strung onto thread, similar to the concept of today's necklaces.
Later, in 2500 B.C., necklaces were being made from gold. These gold choker and adornments were discovered in Ur. Later Sumerian's began using beaded neck jewelry using examples of colored stones, copper and other metals.
The ancient Egyptians were more evolved. They grew from simple stringed bead necklaces to the more complicated patterns. They also had the broad collar and pectoral type necklaces that both men and women wore, especially the wealthy and royalty. Many of these necklaces were buried with them. These necklaces were often richly ornamented and were a big part of the dress attire.
Mostly three-dimensional necklaces were created during the classic Greek period of around 480 to 300 B.C. These necklaces were hung from a row of flat rosette type beads.
Gold was abundant during Alexander the Great period of ruling the Greek Empire. They used gold to make necklaces and many other types of jewelry for many centuries.
Now the Ancient Romans frowned on wearing jewelry. There were laws that dictated how much gold a woman could wear or be buried with. During the first century, the Roman style of jewelry started using gemstones cut in circular or rectangular shapes.
The end of the second century brought about piercing. This technique produced a lace like effect to gold necklaces. The most popular style was the chain with different colored gems connected by links of gold.
Later on, it became popular for women to wear many necklaces at once. This would indicate her level of wealth or her class. For a few years, the popularity of necklaces waned until the late 14th century when they regained popularity.
Now necklaces are popular among all classes of people. The favorite gift from kids to their mothers is the infamous stringed macaroni necklace. All mothers love these since they are a gift from their child's heart.
Necklaces are worn for a variety of reasons. One of them is for personal decoration. Another reason people wear necklaces is for religious significance. Necklaces with images of Saints or a simple cross are among these.
Necklaces have been around for many, many years and will most likely remain a type of jewelry that can be constantly redesigned to stay versatile and trendy. They have been made from everything from animal bones and teeth to rare gemstones, from shells and macaroni to beads and simple metals. 
EzineArticles.com Tina McCarthy

Montezuma Turqouise Pendant

English Georgian - Persian Turquoise Necklace, This wonderful large Georgian style persian turquoise necklace has with graduated stones and rose cut diamonds.This is a rare piece of Period Antique English Jewelry. 

China (Khotan), Turkoman

The Turquoise Jewelry ornaments of the Turkoman tribes of Central Asia are characterized by their bold forms, striking profiles, and prominent semiprecious stones, most often carnelians or turquoise. By the nineteenth century, the once seminomadic Turkoman people had settled in various parts of Iran, Afghanistan, and Chinese and former Soviet Central Asia, but metalworkers' guilds continued to hold an honored position in each center. Turkoman silversmiths produced a variety of objects in a style and with motifs that reflected both Islamic and shamanist cultural influences: jewelry for women and children; ornaments and fittings for knives, helmets, and belts; and harnesses and other embellishments for horses and other animals.
This pendant of somewhat unusual form originally hung from a chain threaded through metal rings attached to the loops on the rectangular plate at the top. The combination of filigree and a thicker silver rim is often seen in Turkoman silver jewelry.

 Tibetan's Love and History with Turquoise
Turquoise is widely appreciated by Tibetans and all through Tibetan history has been prized, valued and worn as jewellery, not only for preserving the family wealth but also for its application in ritual and medicinal practice. "Gyu" (pronounced "yu") the name for turquoise seems to be indigenous, indicating that knowledge of the mineral came from within and not through outside influences. To call a turquoise a stone will offend a Tibetan who will exclaim, "this is a turquoise and not a stone," looking upon it as a thing distinct in itself.
There are four sources of Turquoise in Tibet; the most important is in the region between Lhasa and the China-Tibetan border particularly in the vicinity of Lhasa and near Chamdo, a small town of eastern Tibet about 400 miles north-east of Lhasa. The finest material comes from an area in the Gangschan Mountains of Ngari-Khorsum in Western Tibet. There is another location at Draya to the west of Bathang, and the fourth area is in the mountains of the state of Derge in Eastern Tibet.

Egyptian
Archaeologists have excavated the earliest Turquoise Jewelry known in the world. It was uncovered at the cemetery of the royal tombs, in upper Egypt at Abydos. Gold and Turquoise necklaces, bracelets, beads and other items, are now in the Cairo Museum. These items from approximately 5500 B.C. Turquoise was so highly prized by the Egyptians it was used in the solid gold inner coffin of King Tut.

Mexican
While the craft of making silver jewelry is a relatively recent development among Indians of the American Southwest, this is far from the case in Mexico. There, the Spanish taught the Indians to work silver centuries ago. The result over time has been the emergence of a unique Mexican style of silver jewelry combing the Spanish love for bold, dramatic effects with the native talent for colorful, expressive decoration.
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Mexican jewelry often brings to mind a picture of heavy silver pieces with pseudo-Aztec motifs, set with green or black stones and ornamented with silver domes or balls to give them a „primitive look. The style originated around 1920 when Mexicans began making silver jewelry for the ever-increasing numbers of tourists. The tourists eagerly bought up the jewelry and the designs were copied by hundreds of silversmiths who could make jewelry but were not capable of designing it.
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The contemporary silver jewelry industry in Mexico began in the mid-1920s and coincided with a great revival of interest in archaeological research. Museums were adding excellent examples of pre-Hispanic art and publishers were bringing out important new books on archaeological subjects. Taken by the beauty of ancient Indian designs which made traditional styles pale by comparison, the better jewelry designers began to incorporate them in their work. 
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Mexican Necklace 1950's