Transforming Precious Metals into Lasting Beauty
Alchemy 9.2.5, Belmont Center's newest jewelers, is co-owned by Belmont's Munya Upin.
In the 1930s, anthropologists dug up a matched set of sea shells in a South African cave. The ocean, they noted, was many miles away and the type of mollusk not a food source. The scientists assumed that whoever brought them back must have found the shells beautiful. Seventeen of the shells had been perforated, as if to be strung. The holes in the shells also showed wear from twine or leather. The conclusion: 100,000 years ago, one of our ancestors collected the shells for a necklace, to wear or give to someone else. The scientists suspect that the find is the earliest example of jewelry. As anniversaries, birthdays or holidays like Mother’s Day approach, shoppers will be looking for symbols of esteem and affection beyond what they can …
