One would be hard pressed to . justify jewelry as anything A other than a luxury. Of I course, jewelry is an ex-” travagance but so are many things in any stable, wealthy society that has reached an advanced state, of culture. Flowers, costume, furniture, paintings, automobiles, and other coveted objects all belong, at least partially, in the luxury category. Jewelry at times has been appreciated as a necessity, too. There have been periods in history when jewelry was as necessary as food, clothing, and shelter. One was required to wear some jeweled ornament as a badge of rank, to diamond jewelry advertise economic solvency, or to cure, or prevent, a threatening disease or disaster. In contrast, our present attitudes about jewelry seem based on ideas of rarity and beauty, the dictates of fashion, and a happy state of mind, rather than on feelings of necessity. The old French words jouel and diamond engagement rings , or joiel, which have given us our word “joy,” may also be the origin of “jewel”; It is interesting also to see the similarity of the word jouer—to play. What could be more appropriate to our own concept of jewelry than to think of a jewel as a pleasurable plaything?