Editing Jewellery (section)

=== Prehistory ===
The earliest known Jewellery was actually created not by modern humans (''Homo sapiens'') but by [[Neanderthal]] living in Europe. Specifically, perforated beads made from small seashells have been found dating to 115,000 years ago in the Cueva de los Aviones, a cave along the southeast coast of Spain. Later in Kenya, at [[Enkapune Ya Muto]], beads made from perforated [[ostrich]] eggshells have been dated to more than 40,000 years ago. In Russia, a stone bracelet and marble ring are attributed to a similar age.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.archaeology.org/news//3270-150507-siberia-denisovan-bracelet |title=Stone Bracelet May Have Been Made by Denisovans |year=2015 |quote=A stone bracelet unearthed in Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains of Siberia in 2008 is being called the oldest-known {{not a typo|jewellery}} of its kind. Anatoly Derevyanko, director of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, and the research team believe that the cave's Denisovan layers were uncontaminated by human activity from a later period. The soil around the two fragments of the {{not a typo|jewellery}} piece was dated with oxygen isotopic analysis to 40,000 years ago. "In the same layer, where we found a Denisovan bone, were found interesting things; until then it was believed these were the hallmark of the emergence of Homo sapiens. First of all, there were symbolic items, such as {{not a typo|jewellery}}, including the stone bracelet as well as a ring, carved out of marble," Derevyanko told The Siberian Times|access-date=2015-05-10|archive-date=2018-09-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925215947/https://www.archaeology.org/news//3270-150507-siberia-denisovan-bracelet|url-status=live}}</ref>

Later, the [[European early modern humans]] had crude [[necklace]]s and [[bracelet]]s of bone, teeth, berries, and stone hung on pieces of string or animal [[sinew]], or pieces of carved bone used to secure clothing together. In some cases, jewellery had shell or [[mother-of-pearl]] pieces. A decorated engraved pendant (the [[Star Carr Pendant]]) dating to around 11,000 BC, and thought to be the oldest Mesolithic art in Britain, was found at the site of [[Star Carr]] in [[North Yorkshire]] in 2015.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.11141/ia.40.8 |issue=40 |title=A Unique Engraved Shale Pendant from the Site of Star Carr: the oldest Mesolithic art in Britain |year=2016 |journal=Internet Archaeology |last1=Milner |first1=Nicky |url=http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/100091/1/Internet_Arch_Pendant_paper_Milneretal.revisedmanuscript.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722014234/http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/100091/1/Internet_Arch_Pendant_paper_Milneretal.revisedmanuscript.pdf |archive-date=2018-07-22 |doi-access=free}}</ref> In southern [[Russia]], carved bracelets made of [[mammoth]] [[tusk]] have been found. The [[Venus of Hohle Fels]] features a perforation at the top, showing that it was intended to be worn as a [[pendant]].

Around seven thousand years ago, the first sign of [[copper]] jewellery was seen.<ref name="Holland 1999" /> In October 2012, the Museum of Ancient History in Lower Austria revealed that they had found a grave of a female jewellery worker – forcing archaeologists to take a fresh look at prehistoric gender roles after it appeared to be that of a female fine metal worker – a profession that was previously thought to have been carried out exclusively by men.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://austrianindependent.com/news/General_News/2012-10-03/12320/Cavewoman_jeweller_rewrites_gender_history |title=Cavewoman jeweller rewrites gender history |author=The Austrian Independent News and Pictures |work=austrianindependent.com |access-date=2012-10-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007223640/http://austrianindependent.com/news/General_News/2012-10-03/12320/Cavewoman_jeweller_rewrites_gender_history |archive-date=2012-10-07 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

<gallery widths="170px" heights="170px">
String of beads MET 99.4.54.jpg|String of beads; 3650–3100 BC; [[lapis lazuli]] (the blue beads) and [[travertine]] (the white beads) (Egyptian [[alabaster]]); length: {{convert|4.5|cm}}; by [[Naqada II]] or [[Naqada III]] cultures; [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] (New York City)
String of beads MET 99.4.4 01-19-01.jpg|String of beads; 3300–3100 BC; [[carnelian]], [[garnet]], quartz and glazed [[steatite]]; length: {{convert|20.5|cm}}; by [[Naqada III]] culture Metropolitan Museum of Art
GNM - Armberge.jpg|Armlet with sun symbol; 16th–13th century BC (late [[Bronze Age]]); bronze; [[German National Museum]] ([[Nürnberg]])
Carnelian jewellery from Saruq Al Hadid.jpg|Necklace; probably 2600–1300 BC; [[carnelian]], bone and stone; from [[Saruq Al Hadid]] (the [[United Arab Emirates]])
</gallery>