Part 2
After initial uses of
gold had evolved, it's decorative purpose began to have a more refined appearance. Maybe a man had the idea to create something that his wife would have liked or perhaps, his wife designed it herself and suggested it to her husband. This was not written down on the clay tablets used at the time, but rare examples of their work is found in museums around the world.
A sense of highly refined adornment was apparently the reason that the middle eastern mind of the people of the Sumer civilization in Southern Iraq, circa 3000 BC., began to make jewelry. They developed a skill and sophistication of design that is still in use today. Consider the repeating designs use in their modern architecture or carpets and how the designs loop through each other. Notice how the designs have balance and elegance.
Now, consider the elegance of a repeating loop of gold which creates a chain necklace. It is able to fall along the shape of a womans neckline, colar bone and chest. A solid wire of gold would not be able to do this, but the interlocking loops of gold allows the chain to move with the grace of the body and lay against the form. It also allows for movement when the body is in action. The beauty of gold against olive skin may be one reason to think that the idea came from the mind of a man, but no one knows for sure.
A sense of engineering and creativity had to be part of the puzzle in Iraq. There was a basic ability that was developed which is part of the beauty. The engineering of the chain allowed for the movement of the already malleable gold. It was adding another step to the dance that kept on developing as other people began to use gold and develop their own reasons and explanations for it's being a part of creation.
(This is a continuing story based on basic facts of the History of Gold together with an understanding of basic humanity, by Ray Istre, copyright, 2008-09. For the story from the beginning, click here.)