JEWELRY. The manufacture of jewels has in all times been a test of the artistic cowers of a nation ; for, being intended only for personal adornment, the genius of the jeweler has been directed to the production of the largest amount of beauty in the most limited space. It is probable that the wearing of ornaments of gold and silver is almost as early as the discovery of.those metals. A mere hole drilled through the small pieces of gold nr silver. to enable them to be strung round the waist or neck, would be the first stage; then, when the ductility of the metals became known, they would be beaten probably into bands or rings, giving rise to ring-money; these rings, when increased in size, would become torques for the waist, neck, arms; or ankles, labrets for the lips, and rings for the ears and fingers. As refinement increased, these articles would be made more and more ornamental; and the original object, of mere convenience and safety in carrying the much-valued metals, would be lost in the secondary one of personal adorn ment; the art of the goldsmith would be called into play, and the taste of the nation would be marked by the good or bad designs in demand for this purpose. Jewels being mere articles of luxury and taste, their possession always indicates to a certain extent the wealth of nations, and we are as much impressed with the advanced state of the ancient Egyptians by the nice art and refined taste exhibited in the jewelry found in their tombs, as by the vast architectural works of which they have left so many remains; indeed, modern art, with all its wondrous advances, cannot do more than equal the exquisite workmanship of those elegant golden jewels sent by the late viceroy of Egypt and M. Marlette to the international exhibition, which were taken from the tombs of
ladies of distinction, whose mummies they were found decorating. There is an essential difference between the jewelry of ancient and modern times. Our goldsmiths depend very much upon the processes of casting, drawing, stamping, and other metallurgical tions, and produce thereby great accuracy of outline and high finish. The ancients wrought by hammering, chasing, and repousse, depending entirely upon the taste and skill of the artist, instead of the perfection of his tools and mechanical arrangements; consequently, their works bear the stamp of artistic productions, whilst modern works, however beautiful, have usually the character of mere iminufactures executed with mechanical precision rather than artistic taste; and what they gain in nicety of finish is more than counterbalanced by what is lost in richness of effect. See DIAMOND.