Loose diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but the practice of wearing jewelry is not new. In fact, women as well as men have been adorning themselves with jewelry since the Stone Age; paleontologists have found burial sites over 100,000 years old containing Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon remains in which the deceased was decorated with animal-claw or bone necklaces and carved stone pieces.

Fancy loose diamonds mounted in jewelry is a relatively new development, however. Wholesale diamond jewelry as a market did not exist much before the Victorian Age, although loose diamonds have been used, worn, treasured and fought over for well nearly 3,000 years.

Ancient Jewelry - Its Enchanting History