What is the oldest known example of jewelry set with gemstones?
With Gold?
With Silver?
Just a random pondering of mine.
I don’t know off hand, but the oldest piece found likely was made long after the first one ever made. Valuable jewelry made of precious metals generally ends up getting cashed in somehow or stolen. And it has to be sturdily constructed or well cared for to end up with the stone remaining attached to the setting.
The ancient Egyptians were making jewelry with gemstones over 4000 years ago, it surely goes back much further than that. The oldest known jewelry of any kind is dated to more than 100,000 years ago.. Since gold can be found in streams and rivers, requires no refining, and can be worked by hitting it with a rock, gold jewelry might be that old as well.
Bulgaria had a gold bead find, I think it is still considered the oldest metal jewelry found. As was pointed out, the reveration of something for its antique or historical value is actually pretty modern, stuff was melted down, recut and turned into new most of the time unless it ended up in a grave or treasure trove.
How about jewels?
The oldest convincing piece of complex jewellery [multiple pieces shaped to fit] is the remains of a shell necklace in Morocco c.150,000 years old.
‘Jewels’ might include quartz crystal, probably the most common decorative stone. Found very early as well in lots of places and likely was picked up and curated as ‘ooh nice, shiny’, regardless of any spiritual values that might have been attributed to it.
The oldest semi-precious stone jewellery I know of is the Denisovan bracelet, but that’s the whole thing, not a set stone. Oldest set stones I know of are Egyptian.