Different jewellery pieces symbolise currency, elegance or fashion, social status, self-expression, wealth security, religion, happiness and prosperity, rites of passage, functional elements, heirlooms, relationships, and protection.
Such jewellery, including anklets, earrings, necklaces, fasteners, buckles, and more, usually carry a specific meaning.
Human speaking, symbolism has been a critical part of interaction, making jewellery a powerful aspect of expression.
Within varying cultures, jewellery plays different roles. Some cultures use jewellery when conveying information or ideas since these jewels represent a commonplace object.
In the case of obfuscation, for example, symbols carry secret meanings which are typically shared with a few individuals.
Also, countries, clubs, religions, and rituals depend on symbols to convey different meanings.
For some, certain symbols used in jewellery convey talismanic powers that signify unity and protection. They can also mean belonging to a particular group or having certain beliefs, as represented by their jewellery.
This article will explore different meanings of jewellery.
Let’s dive in!
What does jewellery symbolise?
Jewellery could symbolise wealth, social status, protection, religion, or currency.
Before we dig deeper into what jewellery symbolises, we must help you comprehend its history.
The history of jewellery dates back to so many centuries ago. In fact, according to The International Gem Society (IGS), the earliest discovery of jewellery goes back to about 25,000 years.
During these early years, jewellery was available in stone, wood, shells, feathers, coloured pebbles, and bones.
In communities where hunting was a thing, the hunters wore jewellery made of bones, claws, horns, teeth, and bones. Putting on these trophies meant the hunter would find good luck the next time they hunted.
Here’s what various pieces of jewellery represent:
1. Currency
Over the past centuries, jewellery was used as a trade tool or a form of currency. Some cultures worldwide still use jewellery as a type of currency, depending on the form and value of components or material that it’s made of.
In other words, some people use jewellery to store value.
2. Elegance or fashion accent
Fashion accessories and elegant jewellery punctuate style and accentuate your fashion. Every stylish woman should never miss elegant jewellery pieces in their wardrobe if they want their outfit to stand out.
By elegant jewellery, we mean precious stones and metals such as gold, diamond, silver, and rubies. Women across cultures have established their classy styles by blending their clothes with quality earrings, anklets, rings, bracelets, and necklaces.
That’s why investing in classy jewellery is essential if your goal is to stand out.
3. Wealth and opulence
Some types of jewellery have been used to symbolise wealth and opulence for a long time.
For example, turquoise is often used as a strong message stone, especially in jewellery. Some ancient cultures believed that turquoise bore spiritual powers. Different cultures value this stone, with its significance varying from one culture to another.
Like the Navajo tribe, turquoise jewellery symbolises luck, good health, and happiness. To them, it’s also a way they use to link the world of nature since the colours that these stones have are derived from nature.
For the Persians, turquoise jewellery symbolised heaven, while for the Greeks, it was highly valued, and their jewellery symbolised purity. That’s why maidens often wore it.
On the other hand, Tibetans consider turquoise as symbolic because of its ability to gradually change to blue from green. This colour transformation signifies the wisdom that one gains as they age. To them, turquoise jewellery also symbolises life and death and its importance.
Today, turquoise jewellery is still highly regarded because of its benefits and various positive aspects, such as beauty.
4. Social status
In the past and today’s societies, jewellery signified and continues to signify one’s social status. Those who belong to a higher social status wear expensive or extravagant jewellery. Also, these wealthy individuals normally own a lot of jewellery compared to those of a lower status.
In some African cultures, like in the Maasai community, beaded jewellery symbolises social status and age. In this community, necklaces, wristbands or bracelets, and anklets are worn depending on one’s marital status, or in the case of men; jewellery symbolises the ageset that one belongs to.
5. Self-expression
Jewellery makes you more presentable by completing your outfit and helps you make a statement regarding your personality.
From ancient times, people have used clothing as a way of self-expression. Whether you’re doing it intentionally or unintentionally, how you dress dictates how others perceive you.
During the earlier times, jewellery carried a variety of meanings that included protection against harmful spirits, good luck, and power.
However, women have changed how they express themselves through jewellery in modern times.
Apart from using jewels and dressing to display their femininity, women’s social status has gone beyond being judged by how they dress.
With the fact that women are now also succeeding in the workplace, jewellery has become an aspect of self-expression and demonstrating one’s personality.
6. Wealth security
Wealth security is also part of what jewellery symbolises in today’s society. Many investors find it challenging to preserve their wealth for their upcoming generations. Maintaining wealth must consider factors such as inflation, depressions, wars, and technological changes.
As much as investors can stash away their wealth in the form of gold in safe havens during war, this may not be a practical solution, especially when they need to access it urgently. And it’s almost impractical to carry around huge gold bars during such times. Thus, jewellery can become an easier and safer way to do so in times of uncertainty.
Average investors may find it a challenge to store away gold in other countries and access it when required. Precious metals in jewellery are valuable, and it’s easier to hide or transport. Thus, this is a great way to diversify and store your wealth since you can easily access and transport them.
Besides these reasons, jewellery pieces maintain their purchasing power, which is a good thing to consider when you wish to ensure the security of your wealth.
7. Religion
A piece of jewellery indicates a specific position or achievement within a particular religion. Putting them on can also be another way to commemorate religious events in one’s life, including baptism or communion.
People from certain religions wear necklaces with a cross to show a religious meaning.
Over the years, jewellery has changed from being a humble talisman when it comes to spirituality to the current level of divinity which is demonstrated through extravagance.
In earlier civilisations, the Greeks wore pantheons to celebrate their gods, while Egyptians wore amulets to show their belief in the afterlife.
Today, different religions use jewellery as logos depending on the faiths that they belong to.
8. Attracting happiness and prosperity
You read it right. It’s believed that jewellery made of crystals attracts happiness and prosperity. Crystals are usually arranged in a specific geometric pattern, with each pattern carrying a particular meaning. These substances are pure and can come in ruby, emerald, blue sapphire, yellow sapphire, and coral.
For those who believe in astrology, crystals can affect someone’s life. So, it’s important to know what to wear if you wish to meet a particular need or requirement.
You can check out our jewellery collection for your preferred chain, necklace, bracelet, anklet, or ring.
9. Rites of passage
Indian traditions, for example, emphasise the gifting of jewellery to show specific rites of passage. They also use jewellery pieces to acknowledge an important aspect or event in one’s life.
An example of this was the wearing of bangles by women years back, just after getting married. However, today, these bangles are no longer reserved for women who have just married. In India, they’re now worn essentially by most, if not all, women.
Those who undergo baptism as part of their faith can receive a necklace or charm bracelet with a cross symbol from friends or family members. It can even be a statue with the cross, which signifies one’s spiritual transition, just like the bracelet or necklace.
Some cultures and religions also celebrate their boys and girls by giving them gifts as they come of age.
10. Functional elements
During historical times, most jewellery served a specific purpose, including being an element of decoration.
For example, one could use a brooch as part of their adornment to make their outfit stand out. Also, brooches that date back to several centuries ago were used during moments of grief.
To date, some people still use these jewellery pieces as a fashion statement to make their dressing stand out.
11. Heirlooms
What does heirloom jewellery symbolise? First of all, an heirloom is a piece of jewellery associated with a particular family and passed down the generations.
Even though heirloom jewellery is more about its refined design and carries financial value, its sentimental value makes them precious.
For example, you could be wearing a ring passed down from your mother, who received the same from her mother. The ring might be worth a lot of money, or it can even be worth much less.
The most important thing here is that it has been passed down to you from your grandmother. The ring is a great way to keep her memory, including when you will also pass the same ring to your children.
Heirlooms are mostly created during special occasions. When one receives a memorable ring or a necklace, or even earrings from a loved one, they’re going to value it highly. Beyond that, the gift is going to remind you of the memorable moments you shared with your special one.
The special memories that the jewellery symbolises might make you long to pass on the heirloom to your loved ones. This way, you end up creating special moments and memories with an emotional touch.
Therefore, heirlooms provide a great way to make direct connections to one’s family history.
12. Relationships
Jewellery is an important aspect of a relationship as it symbolises love and affection while at the same time spicing up things between partners. Those in romantic relationships can make their gifts more personal as every piece of jewellery carries a unique meaning.
So, if you wish to send a gift to your girlfriend or boyfriend, ensure you get the right one so that the message you send is clear. This can be a watch, a pair of enchanting earrings, a beautiful necklace, or even a captivating anklet that will perfectly complement their dressing.
You might also wish to consider gifting your significant other with a gorgeous bracelet to show them that you’re thinking about them.
People also use different kinds of rings to send a special message to their loved ones. They include an engagement ring, a promise ring, and more.
Special occasions like graduations, birthdays, holidays or even Valentine’s Day are best celebrated by giving a jewellery gift to your loved one. This is to show how serious you are about your relationship.
It also shows that you value your relationship with your family member, friend, or lover.
13. Protection
Some traditions emphasise the need to wear jewellery, commonly known in some cultures as a talisman, as a form of protection. Some believe that wearing specific jewellery is a way to attract luck to their businesses, lives, and other aspects of their lives.
Talismans and lucky charms are some of the ancient reasons people wear jewellery pieces. These reasons have outlived time, with some cultures believing that you need special clothing, jewellery, or home decor if you wish to ward off evil.
For example, Hamsa, a hand-shaped bracelet from different Middle Eastern cultures, has been considered an age-old protective symbol. Even though its origins are not yet clear, this object has been used for warding off evil.
The Evil Eye is another common design used in jewellery. It stems from the fact that an evil eye can cause a curse on someone or can lead to misfortune. Thus, it is purposely used in jewellery to help the person wearing it fend off or chase away evil.
Jewellery is made of different symbols that carry varied meanings.
When used in jewellery, anchors symbolise hope, while crosses depict the faith that one belongs to. Other symbols used in jewellery to give various meanings include arrows, keys, butterflies, horseshoe, dragon, coiled snake, and more.
But what does your jewellery collection tell people about you?
Next, we cover what your jewellery says about you.
What does your jewellery say about you?
Your jewellery can show that you’re an elegant, trendsetter, colour-coordinated, fun-loving, or down-to-earth person.
So, when you look at your jewellery collection, what do you think it tells others about you?
It’s important to pay attention to the kind of jewellery you get for yourself or your loved ones because you’ll never get a second chance to make a first impression.
How you dress, speak, and the jewellery you wear say a lot about you.
Let’s look in greater detail at what jewellery says about you and your personality.
1. Elegance
Some people prefer simple but elegant designs of jewellery. For example, a pearl necklace or stud earrings are usually preferred by those who desire simplicity and wish to remain quiet among friends or relatives in a gathering.
So, if you’re a traditionalist or a family-oriented individual, you can try a simple design when it comes to earrings, necklaces, or any of your other jewellery.
This way, you can still make a statement since people still notice and pick you in the room. It’s your calm demeanour demonstrated through the jewellery you’re putting on that would make you stand out and be noticeable.
2. You’re a trendsetter
Wearing vintage pieces of jewellery is an excellent way of making a bold statement. It shows that you wish to stand out and show yourself different from the commonly known standards.
Individuals who set the trends are often found in thrift or antique stores, looking for the kinds of jewellery that can perfectly fit their names. So, if brands don’t impress you and your wish is only to make a statement, you fit in this group of people.
3. You’re colour coordinated
Responsible people prefer wearing clothes and pieces of jewellery that come in matching styles, colours, and designs.
So, if you’re one of them, you’d opt for gold earrings if you’ve decided a gold necklace is what you’ll be wearing.
Similarly, a blue sapphire necklace, for example, must go with a similar design and colour of earrings.
Matching jewellery pieces is your way of showing how coordinated you are when it comes to the colour of what you wear.
4. You love fun
People also get to know you as a fun-loving person through jewellery, especially if you’re a lover of large jewellery such as hoop earrings.
Another way to have jewellery define you as a fun-loving person is through thick hanging necklaces.
An extravagant ring also brings out your fun-loving aspect and shows your social nature and how active and bubbly you are.
5. You’re down-to-earth
Are you a down-to-earth individual who likes recycled materials like turquoise earrings?
Or are you a nature lover who prefers jewellery made or carved out of simple materials? Such jewellery pieces include shell earrings, sea glass, and bangle bracelets.
Individuals in this category are in love with the outdoors and are often aware of their surroundings. They are attracted to earthy tones and colours that include brown, ocean blue, beige, and forest green.
So, the type of jewellery you wear will say a lot to people regarding you and your personality.
Conclusion
Jewellery symbolises currency, fashion, wealth and opulence, social status, self-expression, wealth security, religion, attracting happiness and prosperity, rites of passage, functional elements, heirlooms, relationships, and protection.
Jewellery is an important aspect of fashion that has been embraced for thousands of centuries, and they have special meanings.
So, if you wish to make a specific statement or pass a particular message, you must ensure to wear the right piece of jewellery.
If it’s about making a fashion statement, displaying your social status, or feeling happy and prosperous, then picking your jewellery well would be a wise idea.
Your jewellery says whether you’re elegant, a trendsetter, colour-coordinated, fun-loving, or down-to-earth. Depending on the jewellery you choose, people will read more about you, including your personality.
Where to get quality jewellery
For pieces of jewellery that will make you stand out, check out our jewellery collection.
Here, you’ll find a variety of valuable jewellery to choose from. It includes a collection of quality earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, and anklets.