Jewelry is an item of personal adornment, such as a necklace, ring, brooch or bracelet, that is worn by a person. Jewelry may be made from any material, such as gemstones, precious metals or shells, besides other materials, depending on cultural differences and availability of materials. Jewelry may be appreciated because of geometric or other patterns, or meaningful symbols. Earrings and other body rings are also considered to be jewelry, while body art is not. Also, items affixed to a garment, such as buttons, are not considered to be jewelry, even if they are unusual and highly decorative. Also, items such as belts and handbags etc. are not considered to be jewelry, and are considered to be accessories.
Jewelry is sometimes seen as wealth storage or functionally as holding a garment or hair together. It has from very early times also been regarded as a form of personal adornment. The first pieces of jewelry were made from natural materials, such as bone, animal teeth, shell, wood and carved stone. More exotic jewelry was probably made for wealthy people or as indications of social status. In some cases people were buried with their jewelry.
Jewelry has been made to adorn nearly every body part, from hairpins to toe rings and many more types of jewelry. While high-quality jewelry is made with gemstones and precious metals, such as silver or gold, there is also a growing demand for art jewelry where design and creativity is prized above material value. In addition, there is the less costly costume jewelry, made from lower value materials and mass-produced. Other variations include wire sculpture (wrap) jewelry, using anything from base metal wire with rock tumbled stone to precious metals and precious gemstones.
