Surprisingly Weird Facts About Ordinary Jewelry

The fact that they're literally pretty rocks is the least weird thing about jewelry.
Surprisingly Weird Facts About Ordinary Jewelry

For some, jewelry is an accessory. To others, like Flava Flav or Mr. T, it's an identity. Either way, most people haven't ever given any thought to the weird, weird history of the metal and rocks we wear as decorations every day.

And it turns out, there's a ton of weird going on. Like:

Wristwatches were exclusively worn by women until the early 20th century. 0 XI Men used only pocketwatches, but wristwatches for men came into style d
Cleopatra dissolved and swallowed a precious pearl to win a bet against Mark Antony. Legend goes that Cleopatra bet Antony that she could eat a more l
Bacteria dies on copper and copper alloy surfaces. Infection rates have been found to be significantly lower in hospital rooms with copper equipment.
Diamonds range from 1 to 3.5 billion years old. Compare that to synthetic diamonds, which have only been around for 60 years. The most valuable diamon
The wedding ring is worn on the fourth finger because people used to believe that the finger had a direct vein to the heart. Wedding rings are the old
An engagement ring for a man is referred to as a mangagement ring. Before men even regularly wore wedding bands, jewelers tried to make mangagement
You can tell if a pearl is real by rubbing it against your teeth. Rub it against the front surface of your tooth, not the tip. If it feels gritty, it'
Diamond engagement rings were popularized by Maximilian of Austria when he gave one to Mary of Burgundy in 1477. The story goes that Maximilian and Ma
NASA astronauts have a gold layer in their helmets to protect them from the sun's rays. On the helmet's visor, a gold coating acts like the astronaut'
After the French Revolution, neck ribbons became popular as an ode to the guillotine. Flashy jewelry fell out of style during the French Revolution as
Rubies and sapphires are the same mineral, corundum, but with slight defects. Rubies are red corundum, and sapphires can be any color except red. Pure
Large quantities of the gemstone peridot have been found on Mars. The gemstone is found deep in the Earth's mantle and has also been found in meteorit
Neanderthals wore necklaces. Various findings of bird talons with intricate knife cuts indicate that Neanderthals made and wore jewelry. It's possible
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