As the title suggests, this paper is an overview of the development of jewelry in China from the Neolithic Period to the present. An in-depth study of the development of items of personal adornment used in China over the past 9,000 years is clearly beyond the scope of one paper. My presentation here is the result of my research through available texts, museum collections and exhibitions, and years of acquiring over 150 extant examples of early to late period silver and gold ornaments from China. Through the use of both a panoply of images and some actual examples, I will illustrate the various styles of ornaments brought on by different cultural influences throughout China's colorful past. In addition, I will discuss the metallurgy, techniques of fabrication, as well as types and sources of material used by the Chinese over their long history.

Author: David Humphrey