Editing Jewellery (section)

=== North and South America ===
{{Main|Native American jewelry}}
[[File:Ear Ornament, Winged Runner MET DP-10734-01.jpg|left|thumb|[[Moche culture|Moche]] ear ornaments depicting winged runners; 3rd–7th century; gold, turquoise, [[sodalite]] and shell; diameter: 8&nbsp;cm; [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] (New York City)]]
Jewellery making started in the Americas with the arrival of [[Paleo-Indians]] more than 15,000 years ago. This jewellery would have been made from stone, shell, bone and other perishable materials. The American continent is home to 2 [[cradles of civilization]]: in the [[Andean civilization|Andes]] and [[Mesoamerica]]. Cultures in these regions developed more complex methods of jewellery creation. The Andes is the origin of [[hot working]] [[metallurgy]] in the Americas and consequently the region has the longest history of work in materials such as silver, platinum and gold. Metallurgy began in Mesoamerica during the Termainal Classic era, likely arriving from direct maritime trade with the Andean cultures. As a result, western Mesoamerican cultures, such as the [[Tarascan State|Tarascans]] and [[Mixtec Culture|Mixtecs]], had more complex use of the technology.

With the [[Moche culture|Moche]] culture, goldwork flourished. The pieces are no longer simple metalwork, but are now masterful examples of jewellery making. Pieces are sophisticated in their design, and feature inlays of turquoise, mother of pearl, spondylus shell, and amethyst. The nose and ear ornaments, chest plates, small containers and whistles are considered masterpieces of ancient Peruvian culture.<ref>{{cite book |author=Larco Hoyle, Rafael |title=Museo Larco. Experience Ancient Peru |publisher=Museo Larco |location=Lima |year=2008 |isbn=978-9972934124}}</ref>
A notable example of Andean metallurgy is the Northern Andean cultures' work with [[platinum]], which has a much higher [[melting point]] than other precious metals. There are only a few known examples of [[cold worked]] platinum in the [[Old World]] and no known intentionally hot worked examples (platinum was not identified as a separate element and small inclusions appeared in some goldwork). In the New World however, certain Andean cultures recognized platinum as a separate metal and were able to incorporate it into jewellery, such as through [[sintering]] it with gold.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Ancient Platinum Technology in South America |url=https://technology.matthey.com/article/24/4/147-157/ |journal=Platinum Metals Review |date=1980 |doi=10.1595/003214080X244147157 |access-date=22 April 2023 |archive-date=22 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422035641/https://technology.matthey.com/article/24/4/147-157/ |url-status=live |last1=Scott |first1=David A. |last2=Bray |first2=Warwick |volume=24 |issue=4 |pages=147–157 }}</ref>

[[File:Funerary Goods found with the previous mask - Maya Museum Campeche.jpg|thumb|upright|Jadeite [[grave goods|funerary jewellery]] from Tomb 1 of Structure VII of [[Calakmul]], thought to belong to [[Yuknoom Tookʼ Kʼawiil]]. Late Classic (660 to 750 AD).]]
Among the Late Post-Classic Aztecs, only nobility wore gold jewellery, as it showed their rank, power, and wealth. A large portion of "Aztec gold" jewellery was created by Mixtec artisans. The Mixtecs were particularly known for their goldwork and gold jewellery was part of the tribute paid by Mixtec polities to the Aztecs. In general, the more jewellery an Aztec noble wore, the higher his status or prestige. [[Tlatoani|The Emperor]] and his High Priests, for example, would be nearly completely covered in jewellery when making public appearances. Although gold was the most common and a popular material used in Aztec jewellery, [[jade]], [[turquoise]], and certain feathers were considered more valuable.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Miller, Mary Ellen |author2=Taube, Karl A. |title=The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya: An Illustrated Dictionary of Mesoamerican Religion |url=https://archive.org/details/godssymbolsofa00mill |url-access=registration |year=1993 |publisher=Thames and Hudson |isbn=978-0-500-05068-2}}</ref> In addition to adornment and status, the Aztecs also used jewellery in sacrifices to appease the gods.<ref name="Reader 1986" /><ref name="Farndon 2001">Farndon, J. (2001). ''1,000 Facts on Modern History''. Miles Kelly Publishing.</ref>

Another ancient American civilization with expertise in jewellery making were the [[Maya civilization|Maya]]. During the Pre-Classic and Classic era of Maya civilization, the Maya were making jewellery from local materials such as jade, pearls, and seashell while also incorporating imported materials such as obsidian and turquoise. In the Terminal Classic and Post-Classic, importation of gold, silver, [[bronze]], and [[copper]] lead to the use of these materials in jewellery. Merchants and nobility were the only few that wore expensive jewellery in the Maya region, much the same as with the Aztecs.<ref name="Reader 1983" /> Jade in particular had an important [[Jade use in Mesoamerica|role across Mesoamerica]].

In [[Northern America]], Native Americans used [[Exoskeleton|shells]], wood, turquoise, and [[soapstone]] The turquoise was used in necklaces and to be placed in earrings. The turquoise incorporated into Mesoamerican jewellery was primarily obtained through trade with [[Oasisamerica]]. Native Americans with access to [[oyster]] shells, often located in only one location in America, traded the shells with other tribes, showing the great importance of the body adornment trade in Northern America.<ref>Josephy Jr, A.M. (1994). ''500 Nations: The Illustrated History of North American Indians''. Alfred A. Knopf. Inc.</ref>

Jewellery played a major role in the fate of the [[Americas]] when the [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|Spanish colonizers]] were spurred to search for gold on the American mainland after coming into contact with Caribbean natives that had gold jewellery obtained through trade with the mainland. Continued contact with Native Americans wearing gold jewellery eventually lead to Spanish expeditions of the mythological [[El Dorado]].

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Messico, colima o jalisco, ornamenti in conchigli di spondylus, 200 ac-200 dc ca. 03.jpg|Pendant made from a ''[[spondylus]]'' shell, [[Western Mexico shaft tomb tradition]], 200 BC to 200 AD, now at the [[Art Institute of Chicago]], United States.
BOG 04 2012 Museo de Oro 1213.JPG|[[Muisca]] gold jewellery, including a headband, nose ornament and pectoral, on display at the [[Gold Museum, Bogotá|Gold Museum]] in Bogota, Colombia.
Peru, North Coast, Moche culture (50-800), Early Intermediate Period - Nose Ornament with Decapitators and Human Heads - 2005.176 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif|Moche nose ornament made from silver and gold-silver [[alloy]], inlaid with [[malachite]], now at the [[Cleveland Museum of Art]], United States.
Mixteca-Puebla style labret.jpg|Mixtec-Puebla style [[labret]] made from obsidian in the shape of an eagle, now at the [[Walters Art Museum]] in Baltimore, United States.
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