MYSTERY
The emotional trend for present day body
ornament began thousands of years ago when a successful hunter pushed a sharp bone through
his nose. This painfully crude ornament may attract a potential mate. How or
what initiated the first use of ornamental Gold must remain a mystery. The
golden artifacts found in ancient graves are usually sand castings of religious
icons. Body piercing of the human extremities has never lost its popularity. Bone and claw
amulets adorned the idolized Chiefs and Medicine men. Animal leather,
with the fur intact, was crafted into arm bands and sandals. Fish vertebra,
which when dried is hollow, inspired the first rings and bracelets. Bone bracelets
bound captured slaves. "To the Victor go the Spoils".
Burial rosettes of drilled
bone and colored shells helps to date ancient shell middens.
History bugs have trouble dating the
origination of Gold adornments. Pretty pebbles mounted in horns or bone undoubtedly
came before metal attachments.
Purpose and function followed burial masks
depicting the immortal 'cravings and etchings' of Human Gods. Tribal chiefs along
with holy Pharaoh believed eternal life would be granted with mummification and encasement
in a gemstone embellished golden Sarcophagi.
Whether the earliest wall paintings
were simple historic recordings or the 'state of the Art' is another
mystery. Seldom do ancient temples or burial sites contain a reference to a
'commoner' being adorned with Gold jewelry.
With the discovery of FIRE came the majestic skill of
melting shinny gold nuggets then pouring the molten metal into sand impressions.
Sand casting, though highly refined, continues today. Centuries of trial and error
eventually produced the beautiful lost-wax castings of today's Goldsmith.