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Bracelets - those tiny colorful ornaments that we wear on our wrists and occasionally on the upper arm or even the whole forearm - have been with us since the Palaeolithic man!

Surely something that has followed man since the Palaeolithic times and has continued to stay as popular as ever is something that we ought to sit up and take notice. After all, unless it has value or adds to the well being of man, it would have been long abandoned and left to oblivion.

Now, the earliest forms of bracelets were perforated shell and diverse animal teeth worn by the Palaeolithic man. Needless to say, those big gigantic teeth of an animal that he has hunted and slaughtered would have cut a great scene. Perhaps. the larger the teeth, the higher value Palaeolithic man would have pegged to his bracelet.

The Egyptians were master craftsmen in forging early metal bracelets, which were often plain, sometimes incomplete circles and sometimes hinged. These bracelets were the ornaments of royalty. In China, jade bracelets were popular, and chinese bracelets were often made of inlaid wood. Again, jade was the precious stone in demand until there was an emperor called the Jade Emperor.

Gold and twisted metal wire made an appearance in Greece from the Minoan period, with precious stones. The form of bracelets take on new appearance then as spiral shapes became popular and has the ends decorated with the heads of animals, especially the snake. The Romans took bracelets a step further by wearing them to battle, as a sign of bravery, while the common romans wore heavy bracelets, decorated with coins and jewellery and sometimes wearing them at the ankles.

The Mogul Emperors of India were famous for their bracelets as part of their royal regalia. The evolution of design continued until the bracelets became more fanciful,

Modern bracelets maintain the shapes, are light and flexible to adjust to the demanding times. Today's modern women are even wearing wrist watches as a form of bracelets. On the other side of modernism, tribal groups still wear fetish materials of goats hair, bird feathers, marble stones to twisted copper wire to twined and plaited vegetable fibre.

So why has the bracelets continued to surge in popularity throughout the ages?

Firstly, as a personal ornament, bracelets add color and variety to the person wearing it. It is as much a personal statement of fashion as it is a projection of the personality of the wearer. Many use the bracelets to project his or her beliefs, and moods.

Bracelets also are representations of authority and ownership. We therefore see certain groups of people of similar interest wearing a special type or range of bracelets to indicate camaderie and membership. We also stamp our ownership by attaching bracelets on to newly born babies. Entry to certain establishments require the stamping of a ink bracelet or ink mark - all these are in part to establish control and membership.

Those with sickness and ill-health will find bracelets to be useful. Bracelets can contain useful health history and blood types and specific medication required by the patient.

The theory and principles of the aged old chinese "feng shui" - the study of the harmonics of wind, water, wood, metal and fire suggests a blending of personal beliefs to the practise of wearing special crystals, gemstones and jade. These become amulets to ward off evil and sickness and bring good health and prosperity.

Use the green color jade as a stamp of authority. After all, the seal of authority of the Emperor of China was made from jade, and the Empress and his concubines were all lovers of jade bracelets and ankle bracelets. Jade being green brings a calming influence to your life, and talks of green pastures. You will not go wrong with a green jade bracelet. Green suggests forest and where the world is so full of stress, the harmonics of feng shui suggests a need to add the wood (forest) element to many lives; so wearing a jade bracelet or a bracelet with inlaid jade or green gemstones will assists in this mystical balance of feng shi.

Are you looking for love? Take a "love" bracelet and let it work its magic! Pink crysals formed into a nice bracelet can be worn to "attract" love. Are you in a happy mood? Go, grab a colorful wrist band bracelet to tell the whole world that you are on cloud nine!

About the Author

Peter Lim, a Certified Financial Planner, has strong interests in the use of ornamental and precious stones in the area of chinese feng shui and the blending of the harmonics of nature to personal health and wealth. You can visit his website http://www.1best-deals.info/bracelets to learn more.