I'd like to think I know a little about jewelry, since I got engaged a few weeks ago. I know it ranges from small, subdued pieces to flamboyant pieces. When purchasing a ring I was able to see many different types of jewelry that the modern world has to offer, although I focused on diamond jewelry and more specifically rings. I will first talk about the different ways the ancient Egyptians adorned themselves and then I will move on to the modern era and finally I will summarize everything with the differences and similarities I see. Although I started by talking about jewelry, there were many ways the Egyptians adorned themselves. The Egyptians used jewelry, makeup and tattoos. We know this because the Egyptians documented many of their ways and even have relics (mummies and tombs that have survived) that allow us to see how they actually adorned themselves. I'll first start by talking about jewelry. All the Egyptians fought for jewels. “Jewellery was so important that not only pharaohs but all Egyptians were buried with some kind of jewel, even if it was just brass and glass.” (Hinckley) Just like in today's society, Egyptians had many different types of jewelry, rings, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. Again similar to modern society, these were used to show the status and wealth of the person wearing it. The jewels also had religious significance. For this reason many models had specific rules so as not to influence the protective value of the object. Some jewelry was very elaborate and some ideas have stood the test of time and are still used in jewelry. In addition to the design, the choice of material and the choice of color had religious significance and meaning. An ancient Egyptian designer had no r...... middle of paper ...... meaning of lace on jewelry the purpose of most jewelry is aesthetic. Wealth and power are in there too, but people buy it to look good and not to ward off evil spirits. The makeup also moved straight to the secular column instead of medical and religious reasons. Tattoos today are used to "express oneself" and not to protect a pregnant mother-to-be. In summary, we see that in today's society we have abandoned much of the religious meaning of jewelry and now use them to decorate and make ourselves unique. . There is still a religious aspect to some things, crosses are the best known example and even what one can argue hasn't changed much since ancient Egypt, but the idea of ​​needing jewelery for the afterlife has faded . I think this reflects the fact that today's society is very secularized and religion in general is in decline.