The magnificent world of jewelry has always possessed the ability to capture the imagination of people. This statement is true in reference to the ancient and Middle Ages as well as the epoch of renaissance. It is the precious samples of irresistible traditional ethnic jewelry that were so eagerly sought after by the daring pirates at the early times. Besides, at all ages, including ancient and Middle Ages, traditional ethnic jewelry that was very vigilantly safeguarded as a cherished family and passed on to successive generations.

It is a very challenging task to endeavor to document the development of the traditional jewelry of ancient and Middle Ages, but it is very rewarding to read all the literature available about this issue. It is rather fascinating to trace the roots of ancient jewelry and to try to decipher the intricacy of designs and symbols embodied in the jewelry of ancient and middle Ages. By making this kind of research into the history of world jewelry it may even be possible to explain why jewelry that has been initially produced in various corners of the wide world, bear a distinct stamp of similarity.

The researchers in the area of traditional jewelry that have been also looking extensively into the matter of the jewelry of ancient and Middle Ages have come to the conclusion that the similar features that jewelry worldwide can share are attributed to certain objective reasons. First of all, the researchers claim that producers of different ethnic jewelries were faced with the same challenges in terms of operating with certain materials. There were certainly some particular limitations due to different possibilities of a given materials. So is shouldn't be surprising that craftsmen all over the world came up with similar solutions to the existing problem of design and technology. Therefore the items of ancient jewelry from one particular location (for example Egypt and Greece) may not be markedly different from those produced elsewhere.

Speaking about traditional ethnic jewelry it is necessary to mention the fact that the significance of any kind of ethnicity considerably surpasses the aspect of its practical implementation (namely for the purpose of personal adornment). Traditional ethnic jewelry can be regarded as a reflection of the particular state of culture and national mentality as well as a way to make a certain statement, to express beliefs and ideas, feelings and emotions. Ethnic jewelry is an incredibly favorable ground for research as it allows tracing the subtle connections of the materials used for jewelry production as well as the most popular designs, to the particular culture.

The value of traditional jewelry can hardly be overestimated and though it may sound rather cynical, jewelry can be easily converted into money in case of necessity. But it does not only have a practical value. Traditional jewelry can recall the tradition to keep jewelry in the quality of the family the sentimental value comes into play.

We shouldn't forget the magical and protective qualities that can be traditionally attributed to pieces of jewelry. But that's another story for another time.