The Origin and Function of Jewelry

The exploration of the origin of jewellery is a basis and prerequisite for exploring the formation and development of jewellery function and the evolution process of jewellery materials and crafts. It has a certain theoretical significance for guiding jewellery consumption and guiding jewelry design trends. Modern jewelry originated from the prehistoric primordial body decoration. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis of the achievements of archaeological and anthropological research and the investigation of modern primitive body ornaments are of great significance to the search for the origin of jewelry.

1. From the collection of Paleolithic materials found in various parts of the world and the information of modern primitive tribes, we can find that the earliest forms of the original body decoration were: items, waist ornaments, arm ornaments, wrist ornaments, and headdresses. Among these forms, the main items are ornaments and ornaments. They are largely decorated around the human reproductive area. The reason for this, in addition to the ability of these sites to support the wearer, a large number of studies have shown that this option has another purpose. In the original frescoes of ancient Egyptian tombs and primitive Indian rock paintings, we will find such a phenomenon: The human genitals in the paintings are often exaggerated, and dotted with beads, shells and floral feathers. In primitive primitive tribes such as primitive Nudi people living in the hinterland of Africa, they often hang decorations on the ankles and chests with wooden beads, feathers, and even beautiful stone (jade) beads when they dance. Products. In naked times and tribes, the exposure of genitals is commonplace, and it is not surprising that when men and women add a light fringe to them, whether it is a pair of mottled feathers, a string of beads, a cluster of leaves or A bright shell can not escape the attention of their companions, this small body made a very strong sexy stimulant. Its purpose is obvious: to show off and attract the opposite sex. The famous Polish esthetician Ozovsky once directly stated that art originated from the intriguing attraction of biological instincts. As one of the most primitive forms of art, body ornamentation can not be ignored.

2. The colors and patterns on the animals are also a kind of body decoration. The natural body decoration, the male's head ornaments, item ornaments, chest ornaments, tail ornaments, etc. often show regular changes and display in the breeding season, and these decorations are attractive to the opposite sex. It is quite effective, and a large number of biological materials prove that the beautiful decoration of animals has a great advantage in the sexual selection process. Body tattooing is a similar form of body decoration, and human body decoration is just an extended qualitative change of animal natural decoration.

3. The earliest body ornaments in the late Paleolithic era found around the world, whether animal teeth, feathers, or stone beads, have a very significant feature: smooth, regular, small and beautiful. This feature further explains the important psychological motives for makeup, self-hyun, and attraction to the opposite sex. Therefore, it is very scientific that the origin of body decoration psychology originates from the physical instinct. The "humanized" function derived from the evolution of this origin is the most primitive and fundamental function of jewelry.

4. There are two other important motives in the origin and development of jewelry. The first is the motivation of religious functions and the second is the motives of social functions. Both of these motives are based on the physiological instinct factor and are based on this. And evolved. Religion originated from the witchcraft of prehistoric humans, and the religious motives of the development of body decoration are gradually formed and deeply entrenched in people's thoughts in the witchcraft activities of prehistoric humans and under the guidance of such witchcraft ideas. In the course of labor practice, primitive humans gradually developed a mystical view of some of the materials in the natural world that are closely related to their lives, such as the fruits, seeds, animal feathers, teeth, bones, and stone (jade) materials. They even Use it as an object of worship in your own voodoo activity and give it to mysterious power. For example, they hang fruit or seeds of plants on maternity to pray for the birth of their children, and hunt animal skins, teeth, and bones for the success of hunting and their own peace; worship of stone (jade) materials. It is due to the primitive people’s deep feelings for the tools of stone tools. Among them, those who are slightly lustrous and colorful are seen as gifts given to them by a mysterious master in their minds. They are also carefully collected and Protection, and in the process, gradually enriched the connotation of this natural worship material. The initial enlightenment thought of the Chinese jade culture originated from this. In various cultures of the Chinese Stone Age, jade has always been regarded as a kind of natural cult object with rich spirituality, which is widely used in witchcraft ceremonies. And for the prehistoric people to carry, one to beautify their own decoration, and the other as a kind of mascots to avoid evil, disaster, Jihuahuaji. In ancient civilizations of the West, colored gemstones were known for a long time. They were also given some mysterious religious power in the process of being recognized and used. The Babylonian nation dedicated the emeralds to the goddess 6,000 years ago. Praying for some mysterious power, Hyland gemstones are considered the essence of the sea, praying for the safety of sailing or fishing.

5. Religions and the arts have always been a pair of marriages. The development of religion has enriched the body decoration materials with richer and more mysterious connotations, thus promoting the development of body decoration. The social function drivers in the development of body decoration are formed gradually after the emergence of class and private ownership. In the prehistoric “Great Harmony” society, all wealth is public, once the class division in the clan tribe, the tribe has the right The powerful ruling class may take all useful wealth for its own sake. Once the rare body jewelry is owned by a few people, it gradually becomes a symbol of status and status, and is sought and desired by most people. In addition to the “human body decoration function” and “religious function” originally possessed by body jewelry, another kind of social function that is particularly prominent in a certain period has been added. This social function has different phases in different historical stages and different social and cultural backgrounds. Continuity and universality, but also with their own characteristics, in a hierarchical society, it is more manifested as a political class function, such as in ancient China, "the town has a two-inch ruler, the Son of God keep it; Nine-inch-inch, publicly-accepted; seven-inch-inch, Hou Shou-zhi; six-inch-year-old Gui, Bo Shouzhi's system. In Western jewelry is also reflected as a status-level marker, the medieval rules of diamonds can only be worn by aristocratic nobles.

6. In today's society, it is more embodied as a collection and value preservation, and is also a symbol of wealth and status. It is also the social function of jewelry that has greatly enriched and developed the jewellery industry, making jewelry industry as a complete and independent industry that exists in all sectors of society. According to several psychological causes of the development of jewelry origins, we can roughly divide the function of jewelry into the following three functions: body decoration function, religious function, and social function. In the long history of jewellery development, the three are leading the way, while at the same time interacting and infiltrating each other, together enriching and perfecting a complete jewelry culture, but in different historical periods, its role is different, in the early jewelry only As a kind of human body ornament, only the decoration function is played. With the appearance of witchcraft and religion, jewelry is given a religious function in addition to its decorative function, and the religious function is a certain culture in a certain period of time. Its role in the background even exceeds the original and most fundamental decorative function of jewelry.

7. The formation of a class society also encloses a social function after the first two functions, and the later comes first. It led the development of jewellery at a certain stage. With the improvement of human understanding, material wealth is extremely rich, the religious function of jewelry is gradually changing, and the social function of jewelry in the function of jewelry is also declining, and it may be after the disappearance of class society. The social function of class status and personal wealth fades, but the difference in sex will always exist, so the most primitive and fundamental body decoration function as jewelry will always exist, and it is this function will always exist, which determines the jewelry Industry's inexhaustible vitality. And confirming the function of clear jewellery is crucial for us to correctly guide the development of jewelry industry and guide jewelry consumption.