Famous Beaded Necklaces

Man used beaded ornaments as one of the first methods of creating jewelry. The earliest forms of beaded jewelry were found in many archaeological excavations as far back as the Neanderthal man. The jewelry found was used for a number of purposes which include decorative, religious, ceremonious, and currency purposes.

Man wore beaded necklaces to show social status, to protect oneself, and for religious reasons. The main method used for creating one is the stringing method in which different types of strings such as cords, silk, nylon threads and hemp fibers are used to fasten the beads. At present, necklaces depict many themes; for example, necklaces can be bold and eye catching, elegant and classical, earthy and natural or whimsical.

One of the oldest necklaces ever found was the ancient gold beaded necklace of Titicaca in Peru. This necklace is 4000 years old and is the oldest necklace found in America. The necklace is made of gold and has nine long gold beads, which are separated by discs.

Another popular necklace is known as love beads and was made popular by The Doors vocalist Jim Morrison. The necklace he wore involved the stringing of brown and black beads. These types of necklaces were first made by hippies in the 1960s and were mainly worn by anti-war protestors.

Jacqueline Kennedy popularized one of the more recent necklaces, which Coco Chanel created for her. The pearl necklace has three strands that when twisted, create a cluster of pearls.