Jewelry has endured for thousands of years bearing significance in each and every culture as it evolved through the ages. For the better part of the 19th and 20th centuries, scholars believed that the earliest gold jewelry originated around 3000 BC in what is now southern Iraq. However, recent discoveries point to the shores of the Black Sea, nearly one thousand years prior.

The Egyptians were the first to establish jewelry in the style that we are familiar with today. They had a well-documented penchant for gold and used jewelry to symbolize power, wealth, and close proximity to their gods. The color and design of ancient pieces were greatly important and reflected statements of fertility, love, social status, and royal heritage.