Since the first appearance of man on the earth an effort has been made to measure time. The tracking of the suns movement across the sky, candles that were marked at intervals, oil lamps with a marked reservoir, sandglasses (hourglasses) are some of the ways in which time was measured. In the Orient knotted cords and small stone or metal mazes filled with incense that would be burned at a specific rate.

Water clocks did not depend on the observation of the sky or the sun. The earliest water clock was found in the tomb of Amenhotep I who was buried around 1500 B.C. Greeks called them clepsydras; they were stone containers with sloped sides that allowed water to drip at an almost constant rate from a small hole in the bottom. Other clepsydras were cylinders or bowl shaped designed to slowly fill up with water coming in at a near constant pace. Markings on the inside of the bowl marked the passage of the hours. Though this was used primarily at night, it is thought they were used in the day hours as well. A metal bowl with a hole the bottom was placed in a larger bowl filled with water. It would fill and then sink in a certain amount of time.

Since water flow was not exactly predictable and difficult to control the flow accurately, timepieces that depended on water were very inadequate. People were drawn to develop more accurate ways of measuring and telling time.

The development of quartz crystal clocks and timepieces depended on the crystal size, shape, and temperature to create a frequency. Quartz clocks and watches continue to be popular. They work well enough for the price and although they tend to be slightly off the correct time most people can afford them.

The first watches had a natural movement but no minute hand. They had to be wound every twelve hours. Watches were originally worn more for adornment than functionality. Timepieces worked with weights but these were not practical in portable timepieces.

Time measurement has been a goal of man from the beginning and a time line will help you understand how we got to where we are with watches. Watches have so many new functions. They have the date, the time, times across time zones and some have stop watches. Most watches have some kind of an alarm in them. The possibilities are endless and I can really see a Dick Tracy type of watch being real.

Here is a timeline of watch history. Some of the years might not be listed in chronological order but I got them as close to it as possible. It is very interesting to learn how watches have developed. Its amazing when I think of the minds of the people who had their hand in creating watches, how smart and technical they must have been!

Prior to 1600 – The main problem was the driving power the timepieces ran were balanced weights. This made it difficult to carry them around.

1524 – Henlien was paid fifteen Florins for a gilt musk-apple with a watch. This is the earliest date of watch production that is known.

1548 – Other watches appeared and were probably French or German in origin.

1575 – Swiss and English products began to appear. This was the period of the most advancements and innovation. First watch movements were made of steel and then later brass. They were straight verge watches with no balance and were highly inaccurate. The use of spiral-leaf main spring began. This allowed the power of a movement without hanging weights. These pieces were inconsistent in their accuracy.

1600 – 1675 – This was the age of decoration. Watches became more of a decoration and jewelry piece rather than being functional. The shape of cases changed from tambour cylinder with a lid, to a circular case with hinged, domed covers on the front and back. Champleve enamel and relieved case filled with colored enamel appeared.

1620 – The glass crystals were fitted to the cases as a typical alternative to metal opaque covers. The glass is translucent and allowed the owner to see the time without taking off the cover. In order to set the watch and see the time, the cover had to be removed.

1625 – Plain watches came about as the result of the Puritan movement.
After 1660 – Fancy shapes and adornments were seen mostly on ladies watches.

1675 – The spiral balance spring is first used in watches. The accuracy now was measured in fractions of minutes as opposed to fractions of hours. This increased accuracy caused watchmakers to create a dial that had a minute hand and was divided by minutes.

1675 – Charles II introduced waistcoats with pockets. Men now carried their watches in their pockets rather than on a pendant.

1704 – Dullier and Debeaigre developed a method of using jewels as bearings.

1715 – Sully found out that creating a small sink around each hole would retain the oil because of the surface tension.

1725 – It was common to find a large diamond endstone in the cock.

1750 – The names of watchmakers never appeared on the dials of watches till now.

1761 – John Harrison made a clock that was so accurate it was used to measure longitude during sea voyages.

1775 – Champleve is now rare.
Purrelet began production of self-winding watches.

1780 – Rareguel produced these watches.

1800 – The pocket chronometer was a readily available and accurate watch.

1814 – Massey was the first who used a push or pump with a rack that operated by pushing the pendant that turn on a ratchet basic or going bowl.

1850 – The United States were the first to use mass production with mixed results

1900 – Advances were made in metallurgy. This was the introduction of the balance spring on the first verge watch.

1952 – Battery powered watches became available.

1970 – Electronic watches were very successful.

Watches today use quartz crystals, batteries, and there are even atomic watches. Time tracking has never been more accurate and advances in the field of Horolgy are being made all the time.

Firstly, titanium is highly corrosion resistant and therefore does not tarnish easily. Especially for high-polish finished jewelry like gold and silver wedding band rings, it is expected that the jewelry will lose its color and shine over time. Even if they are stored properly in jewelry boxes or safe, the oxygen in the air reacts with the metals and turns the color. This process is of course accelerated if the jewelry is worn daily because the sweat combined with body temperature, acts as catalysts to the chemical process.

Also, titanium is hypoallergenic, which means that very few people have skin that is sensitive to it. People who are allergic to gold, silver or, more commonly, nickel, which is found in most gold and silver jewelry, don’t have to worry about outbreak when wearing jewelry made from titanium and its alloys.

A widely known property about titanium is its durability. It is this attribute that makes it perfect for active individuals who frequently engage in outdoor activities, even water sports. It is not uncommon that people find their gold or silver jewelry damaged, or even lost, after a day of exciting outdoor events. These disappointments can easily be avoided if titanium jewelry is worn instead. In addition, titanium has a high strength to weight ratio. In other words, although it is much stronger than gold and silver jewelry, even steel, it is much lighter and hence more comfortable to wear.

Finally, it is fashionable and trendy to wear titanium jewelry. The metal is relatively new in the fashion industry with many new ideas being applied on it. Titanium is so versatile that it not only can be combined with gemstones, gold and silver, engraved and finished like traditional jewelry; it can also be anodized to create eye-catching colored titanium jewelry.

Common titanium jewelry includes wedding band ring, mens titanium rings and mens titanium bracelets. There is every reason to explore the vast possibilities and express your personality in a whole different way.

Gold is very malleable and as such can be made into just about any shape including tiny hair like strands and thin sheets.

One of the main things most people look for when purchasing gold jewelry is the purity. The jewelry industry has a universal system for identifying this factor.
Chances are the ring on your finger is marked 18K, 14K, or 10K, with the K standing for karat, the system used to describe the percentage of pure gold an item contains.
The higher the karat number, the higher the percentage of gold in your gold jewelry.

• 24K gold is pure gold.
• 18K gold contains 18 parts gold and 6 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 75% gold.
• 14K gold contains 14 parts gold and 10 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 58.3% gold.
• 12K gold contains 12 parts gold and 12 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 50% gold.
• 10K gold contains 10 parts gold and 14 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 41.7% gold. 10K gold is the minimum karat that can be called gold in the United States.

European gold jewelry is marked with numbers that indicate their percentage of gold, such as:

• 18K gold is marked 750 to indicate 75% gold
• 14K gold is marked 585 for 58.5%
• 12K gold is marked 417 for 41.7%

The karat marking on your gold jewelry should be accompanied by a hallmark or trademark that identifies its maker. The items country of origin might also be included.
Youll find examples of pure gold jewelry, but pure gold is soft and isnt practical for daily wear. Other metals are mixed with it to make it more durable (and to lower its cost).
Solid gold is durable, so it is a better choice for jewelry youll wear regularly. If you have allergies to nickel or other metals, choose items that have high gold content, such as 18K or 22K gold jewelry.

To some extent this is true, but we wear jewelry for any number of reasons that are not romantic… to look sophisticated, to look professional, to impress our friends and neighbors.

So what about the romance of jewelry?

In this case Im talking about romance in a broader sense than simply relationships.

Something more like this definition from the dictionary:

A quality or feeling of mystery, excitement, and remoteness from everyday life

That wonderful fission, that bit of a chill that you get from something that is just, well, more than day to day life.

Romantic jewelry is that jewelry that makes you feel special, different, like a princess or a prince. That jewelry that takes you out of your normal hum drum life each time you put it on. The little something extra that comes of wearing something truly special.

Perhaps that is why gold is such a popular metal for jewelry. I love silver and platinum and there are other metals (titanium comes to mind) that make great jewelry, but there is nothing like the romance of gold. To wear gold is to wear the jewelry of kings and queens. In ancient Egypt only the pharaohs and those especially favored by the pharaohs were permitted to wear gold. This feeling of being special and above the fray has continued to the modern day. If you want to feel like royalty (or if you want to give a gift that says you think of your beloved as a king or queen), gold is the answer.

Other jewels that inspire feelings of romance are pearls, emeralds and rubies… and, of course, for many people, diamonds.

Somehow though diamonds dont seem to have the same warmth and romance as the other stones. Actually diamonds were not historically valued as highly was we do today. Much of the romance that has been generated around diamonds is do to de Beers in the early part of the 20th century instituting a brilliant and very effective advertising campaign… so I will leave diamonds for another day.

On the other hand pearls… Pearls feel wonderful against your skin. They are sensuous and mysterious. To look deeply into a fine pearl is to look into eternity. There is also something intriguing about a pearl, knowing that is came not from the cold hard ground, but from an industrious mollusk.

Pearls have been prized in all time periods and all cultures. Historically baroque pearls (large irregularly shaped pearls) were used to make wonderful and fantastic jewelry by embellishing them with gold an gems. Frequently these took the shape of Neptune or other greek gods, sirens, beautiful women and animals. The Canning Jewel in the Victoria and Albert museum is a famous and elaborate use of a baroque as the base for a handsome merman.

Black pearls, particularly Tahitian black pearls have become very popular in recent years. They come in a range of colors from spectacular purples and greens, through pinks to sophisticated browns. All are lovely and the range of colors gives them a great deal of flexibility in choosing just the right pearl for your outfit and mood. The most beautiful black pearl necklace Ive seen was from Morrisons a small manufacturing jeweler in Berkeley. The pearls were arranged in a rainbow strung together so that each color melted into the one next to it — stunning. And of course what could be more romantic than pearls from Tahiti?

(By the way, if you wear pearls, do wear them against your skin, it is good for them, but be sure that you do not wear any perfume, scent or lotion, at least not where it might contact your pearls.)

Emeralds and rubies are traditionally the emperor and empress of gems. Perhaps it is their vibrant colors that inspired our ancestors. Certainly that vivid blood red and cool serpent green are hard to ignore. Even today emeralds and rubies of equal size and quality are more expensive than equivalent diamonds.

In Victorian times colored gems were used to spell out love messages. Sometimes this made for interesting and not necessarily attractive settings; but it is very romantic. For instance a piece of jewelry might have these gems in order:

LOVE: Lapis, Opal, Vermeil and Emerald.
REGARD: Ruby, Emerald, Garnet, Amethyst, Ruby and Diamond.

The shape of jewelry too can harbor a romantic message. Hearts and clasped hands, hands holding a heart (Claddagh) and cupids are self explanatory, but some shapes are a bit more subtle.

For many cultures, including the Romans and the Victorians, snakes were a symbol of enduring love. A snake biting its own tail so as to make a circle is a particularly potent symbol of everlasting love. Prince Albert gave Queen Victoria a snake engagement ring — the beginning of a long and celebrated marriage.

Interestingly lizards and frogs were (and perhaps still are) also symbols of wedded happiness. Perhaps this explains the continuing popularity of jewelry depicting this wiggly creatures.

Jewelry in the shape of flowers may also be symbolic. To quote Ophelia Theres rosemary, thats for remembrance; pray, love, remember: and there is pansies. That’s for thoughts.

Other flowers commonly found in jewelry are daisies for innocence, roses for the growth and continuation of love and bouquets expressing the commingling and compatibility of marriage. When you are considering the perfect gift from that next anniversary, rather than the common anniversary ring how about a more romantic bouquet pendant?

So the next time you are rooting through your jewel box before that special tryst or looking for the perfect gift for the perfect lover, consider the symbolic romance of jewelry and gems.