Let your imagination take you on a journey back to humankind's early days. As we became more intelligent and clever with our hands we developed societal units, made cave paintings and began to sew hides together for clothing.

At the same time these hunter gatherers began to ornament themselves with teeth, tusks and horns of the animals they hunted. They believed these objects imbued them with some of the power of the animals they represented. or helped them get close to those animals foe a more successful hunt

The early people also picked up pretty rocks and crystals from their forays across the land, recognizing that these were special and rare fascinating objects. As hands became more nimble and skilled, ways were found to incorporate those stones into ornamentation by drilling and polishing as pendants, and jewelry became a standard part of our wardrobe.

Some say that this ornamentation was more important to early humans than clothing because of the talismanic meaning and magical association.

Later, as we became more developed, and worked metal and stone, seeds and bone, coral and shell into a vast array of jewelry, these ornaments never lost their religious, mysterious, or deeply personal symbolism. The ancient Greeks wore diamonds on shields and breastplates because it could not be scratched by any other stone, and believed it lent them invincibility in battle. Their word for it "adamas" meaning "I tame" or "unconquerable" became the root word for our name "diamond." The Catholic Church uses amethyst for bishops rings because the purple color represents Christ's mantle. Native Americans have a history of deep reverence for turquoise, which many of their languages call "sky stone," and they have worked it into jewelry for thousands of years.

All this history means it's no wonder jewelry holds such meaning for us today, because we are carrying on a 30,000 year tradition when wearing it. Just what meanings does jewelry have today? Perhaps the most famous is the engagement ring, an unmistakable icon in modern times. Usually with a diamond, since the tradition of proposing with engagement rings started in 1477, when Archduke Maximilian of Austria gave the first diamond engagement ring to Mary of Burgundy, and strengthened by Debeers relentless advertising (does the phrase "a diamond is forever" sound way too familiar?) Anniversary bands and three stone jewelry (past, present, future) are also good examples of diamond's meaningful role today.

Many people enjoy wearing their birthstone or that of a loved one, a tradition that started in the Renaissance with widespread distribution of books on gem lore called lapidaries. Today, just about everyone knows what his or her birthstone is. Why is that? Because people still enjoy the folklore associated with the tradition of the birthstone. They like believing that wearing a birthstone brings them good luck and protects them.
Many lapidaries associated a gem with each sign of the zodiac based on a color system. The color was more important than the specific species of gem. In time, birthstones became associated with calendar months rather than the zodiac. People began to select birthstones in colors other than the originals. The Roman, Arabic, Jewish, Polish, Russian and Italian lists were all different. The official list of birthstones, which is the one commonly used today, was adopted in 1912 by the American National Association of Jewelers, which later evolved into Jewelers of America. Lately some stores are trying to tinker with the list, substituting less costly blue topaz for blue zircon, and citrine for topaz.

Today a parent will sometimes wear a ring or pendant with the combined birthstones of their children (as in the "mother's ring".) Foxfire's family tree pendant can be created with several generation's gems; the children's in the branches, the parent's in the trunk, and the grandparent's in the roots.

New Age devotees ascribe a wide array of spiritual and esoteric meanings to the various gemstones, and are especially fond of gems in their natural crystal form. Gems are thought of as healing amulets in this stressed out age of technology overload. According to crystal healers and New Age believers, crystal and gem healing is an art and practice, done on a metaphysical level, that is being rediscovered because of the power of the Earth's energies that have been absorbed by gemstones which have healing powers used to heal many types of ailments. They believe that crystals have physical and spiritual powers that can be used for treatment of pain, stress and depression, and generate positive feeling in the Mind, Spirit and Body.

Foxfire's own Michael Babinski has written the book "Gemstones; Beauty, Lore and Fascination" (Intarsia Press ISDN 0-9644079-0-6) about the historical folklore of gems.

Jewelry without gems has a place in lore and romance too. Who can deny the powerful meaning of the wedding band? A circle of gold or platinum symbolizing eternity, the significance is so profound that some couples refuse to take them off for even a day for sizing or cleaning. The signet ring, a ring with an oval or square top engraved with a seal or symbol, has been around for thousands of years, once being used to seal important documents. Signet rings have gained and waned in popularity and are just about due for a revival.

So, throughout humankind's history, jewelry and gemstones have been imbued with symbolism, mystery and deep personal meaning. No other possession is as likely to be kept so long, even passed from generation to generation, and cherished so much. Jewelry's personal meaning far outweighs it's intrinsic value, for, even though it's made of valuable materials, it's real value to us is timeless and individual. This is why a gift of jewelry, especially well made fine jewelry created with craftsmanship and artistry is such a meaningful gift.

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Email us at:

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(425)-485-0625.

Foxfire Jewelers
14176 NE Woodinville-Duvall Road
Woodinville, WA 98072

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