Gold's role in history, culture and religion

This section of JewelrySupplier.com is intended to uncover references in history to gems, gemstones, minerals, crystals, precious metals and semiprecious stones and to investigate the role they played in the development of the cultures in which they were utilized. We believe examples of royal jewelry and ancient jewelry from anthropology, sociology and archaeology from the ancient societies of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome and especially the work of PreColumbian American cultures of the North American Indians, Aztecs, Mayans, and Incans to be of craftsmanship that has not been equaled since. Where possible in our history of jewelry, we’ve tried to include methods of manufacture, materials and technology. From the bible, commerce, celestial beliefs to modern crystal collecting.
The history of gold is a long and complex one. It has been a symbol of wealth and a guarantee of power since its use first emerged. Because of its rarity, its usefulness and its beauty, gold has caused individual and national obsession and the destruction of cultures, and the emergence into power of others.
Many African cultures used gold on a large scale. In most areas, including Senegal and the Gold Coast, the people used most of the gold to create objects for the court of the local chiefs. The chiefs had workshops exclusively dedicated to the production of their treasures, which were extensive and elaborate and had ceremonial applications. However, the peoples of the Ethiopian, Sudanese and Bantu regions did export some gold.
Though examples of Gold in use before the 17th century are rare in India, Archaeologists have found pieces of Gold jewelry in the Indus Culture as well as Buddhist Afghanistan that date from near the time of the birth of Christ. India’s gold and jewelry use reached its summit during the Mughal Empire’s reign between the 1500s to the mid 1700s. The fashion of this time many included rich jewels and gold, each with its own religious significance and purpose. In China, Gold use began around 1100 BC as inlay in bronze items and jewelry and continued through the many royal dynasties. When the Chinese settled in Korea at around 210 BC, they brought their knowledge of gold working with them. Indian, Chinese and Korean use of Gold influenced the cultures of Southeast Asia but Gold never became important in Japanese culture.