Antique jewelry glossary

Welcome to our extensive antique jewelry glossary with around 1,500 jewelry related entries.If you feel you are missing an explanation, feel free to let us know and we will add it.

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Tribal jewelry

Articles worn by tribal peoples mainly in connection with tradition or ritual, not primarily as adornment or for reasons of artistry or value. Such articles include many objects trouvés. Unless they are made of or mounted in a precious metal or set with a gemstone, they are generally considered beyond the scope of this site. This applies to masks and to most ethnological objects of personal adornment, but not to such articles of precious metal and skilful workmanship as the pieces made as ashanti jewelry or benin jewelry, nor the sophisticated articles of pre-Colombian jewelry or the skilfully made jewelry of some Indian tribes of the United States.

From: An Illustrated Dictionary of Jewelry, autor: Harold Newman, publishers: Thames and Hudson