Jewelry Boxes - From the Beginning Part 1 ewelry, a word derived from the Latin word iocale meaning plaything, and jouel, an Old French word anglicized during the 13th century, is used to describe those things made of gemstones and metals used to adorn oneself. The oldest known man-made jewelry dates back to the Mid Stone Age, about 75,000 to 100,000 years ago when a mollusk shell necklace was discovered in a cave in Blombos, South Africa. A more prolific type of jewelry making ensued when Cro-Magnons migrated to the European Continent some 40,000 years ago leading into the Bronze Age, when copper was used to forge a more intricate jewelry about 7,000 years ago.
It is nearly impossible to discern exactly when the first container was produced to house precious metals and gems, although ancient Egyptian history of 3,000-5,000 years ago may provide some clues. It has been discovered that the ancient Egyptians produced two types of pottery. One was ordinary and soft, and the other was a coarse, gritty and loose compound always covered with an enamel or glaze. The latter was used to house small items, and one of which could have been jewelry. In the Valley of the Kings, Egyptian Mummies lay entombed in gold forged caskets bedecked in precious metals and gems, amidst a vast collection of funeral pottery which housed burial jewelry necessary for the after-life thus suggesting the jewelry casket. Egyptians also developed the technique or dovetailing wood, to fashion delicate boxes, chests and furniture. Cedar was in abundant supply and also used widely during this period.
The introduction and production of the wooden box began at the end of the Old Kingdom, or ancient Egypt. During the Middle Kingdom Egypt, about (c 1800 BC), boxes were customized to hold cosmetics, and designed like crates to house small alabaster jars containing perfumed oils. Others were found to hold mirrors, combs and even slippers. More elaborate boxes were discovered to be inlaid or veneered with sheets of ivory or exotic timbers purchased from lands south of Egypt and often contained jewelry and precious stones.
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