In the days of my ancestors, this was an additional way to decorate oneself in hopes of “standing out”. Obviously a symbol of the more wealthy, as the peasants only dreamt of such things. With the opening of markets throughout the world, in addition to the overwhelming quantity that became more readily available as the trade routes expanded, because a requirement for every royal and those of the upper class. Jewelry has been a mainstay as demonstrated by the historical finds that show seashells being strewn together to create those first necklaces.
Rings – Necklaces – Other bodily jewelry