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by Ya Ling

Beads have been used to create jewelry and adorn costumes since the dawn of time. If you were to look back on the Ice Age you would discover small objects crafted of natural "beads" including animal bones and teeth, seashells and colorful stones. These items were usually attached to clothe or plant fibers to form the most primitive forms of beaded jewelry. 

Beading jewelry symbolizes many different things for different people; different cultures have associated beads with varying spiritual beliefs, cultural customs and social traditions. Beads, like many other cheap jewelry items, have been used throughout time to adorn the bodies of men and women alike, signifying power, beauty and the human spirit. 

The very first actual "beads" that have been discovered date back to about 38,000 BC. Making by cavemen, these beads were crafted from animal parts. In later times, beads were crafted as symbols of fertility and animal spirits. 

During the stone age, beads were crafted primarily to SPadorning the body; they were also used for trading on occasion however. A couple thousand years later, beads were crafted out of coral and other "precious" substances. In ancient Greece there evidence that carnelian beads and beads made of wealthy members worn lapis lazuli of society. The use of semi-precious stone beads began to become more popular about 2800 BC among the Syrians, who fashioned beads of materials like agate and serpentine. 

Since that time beaded jewelry has become more and more valuable and popular. Gold and other semi-precious stones are often used to craft beaded jewelry. .....

Read more at -  http://www.commodityonline.com/news/Use-of-beads-in-jewelry-and-their-popular-forms-22756-3-1.html