History of the Bracelet

When did people first start wearing bracelets? We can't be certain, but there is evidence of these adornments in almost every ancient civilization.     

Early people wore necklaces of bones and animal teeth. Over the centuries, bracelets have been made from many different materials, including leather, iron, copper, bone and teeth, beads, precious metals, and gemstones.

Around 2500 B.C., Sumerians in southern Mesopotamia were wearing bracelets along with other jewelry. Sumerian women wore jewelry to show off their husband's prosperity. Bracelets were found in the tombs of Ur where it was the custom to bury royalty with their jewelry, their servants, and other belongings. They believed that burying their dead with their possessions would reveal the person’s status in life to the Gods and therefore help him achieve the proper status in the afterlife.

The Egyptians made bracelets out of the materials they found in nearby hills and deserts. Among the first to make bracelets with precious gemstones and enameling, they considered gemstones to have supernatural powers. For example, green jasper was related to rain, agate offered protection from spider bites and thunderstorms, and lapis lazuli protected the wearer against serpent attacks.

In ancient Greece, soldiers wore bands of leather, often ornamented with gold, silver, and or gemstones, on their forearms. These bands were known as “bracels,” from the Latin brachium, meaning “arm.” When women began wearing smaller versions of these bands, they were called “little bracels,” or “bracelets.”

Ancient peoples believed strongly that wearing various precious stones would affect their lives and fortunes. Jewelry was not just for show, but closely associated with religious rites. Gold and jewels were given as gifts to maintain worship. However, in time jewelry advanced from simple ornaments and amulets to also represent rank, wealth, and social standing. Jewelry continues to play these roles today.

After Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79A.D., many bracelets were found in the ruins of Pompeii. In the 10th century, the Vikings wore arm rings to show tribute from the vanquished. People of the Neolithic era carried unusual stones or pieces of wood with them as charms to ward off enemies or protect them from animals or the elements. Ancient Egyptians made charm bracelets for the dead when preparing them for burial. They served as protective shields, signs of status, and identification, to help the gods guide the wearer to his proper place in the afterlife.

In the early 1900s Queen Victoria of England started a new trend in charm bracelets. She wore the bracelets as protective talismans and had jewelry fashioned into lockets, glass beads, and family crests.