<P> Jewellery ( British English ) or jewelry ( American English ) consists of small decorative items worn for personal adornment , such as brooches , rings , necklaces , earrings , pendants and bracelets . Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes , and the term is restricted to durable ornaments , excluding flowers for example . For many centuries metal , often combined with gemstones , has been the normal material for jewellery , but other materials such as shells and other plant materials may be used . It is one of the oldest type of archaeological artefact -- with 100,000 - year - old beads made from Nassarius shells thought to be the oldest known jewellery . The basic forms of jewellery vary between cultures but are often extremely long - lived ; in European cultures the most common forms of jewellery listed above have persisted since ancient times , while other forms such as adornments for the nose or ankle , important in other cultures , are much less common . </P>
<P> Jewellery ( British English ) or jewelry ( American English ) consists of small decorative items worn for personal adornment , such as brooches , rings , necklaces , earrings , pendants and bracelets . Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes , and the term is restricted to durable ornaments , excluding flowers for example . For many centuries metal , often combined with gemstones , has been the normal material for jewellery , but other materials such as shells and other plant materials may be used . It is one of the oldest type of archaeological artefact -- with 100,000 - year - old beads made from Nassarius shells thought to be the oldest known jewellery . The basic forms of jewellery vary between cultures but are often extremely long - lived ; in European cultures the most common forms of jewellery listed above have persisted since ancient times , while other forms such as adornments for the nose or ankle , important in other cultures , are much less common . </P>
when was the first piece of jewelry made
when was the first piece of jewelry made
100,000 - year - old beads made from Nassarius shells
100,000 - year - old beads made from Nassarius shells