Preferred Gems of the Ancients

    Back to the earliest traceable societies, gems were worn on the body only by rulers and members of the royal families. Later, with the growth of religion and out of respect for divine law and its early administration, priests, wise men and other religious leaders followed their monarchic leaders in adorning their bodies and their robes.

    Necklaces were the first fashionable ornaments.  Then came rings and earrings.  Much later, broaches and pins came into wide usage.  Crowns, facemasks and facial jewelry were used to decorate noses, foreheads, mouths and checks.  Such adornments have been discovered in tombs around the world, testifying to early man’s preference for and appreciation of gems and stones.

    The favored stones of societies, as diversified as their geographical locations, were: