Today, most jewelry is equated with feminine beauty: Regard the shine and sparkle of starlets parading on Oscar night. But the origin of many adornments probably is masculine. An early version of the necklace likely protected the vulnerable throat; the bracelet prevented a bowstring from tearing skin when it twanged; rings suggest brassknuckles.

How nice, then, to consider the more serene evolution of the brooch. The decorative pin's original purpose was to keep clothing from falling off: Those who wanted to stay tightly wrapped turned to spines, quills and thorns for assistance. As more durable materials came into use--metal, for instance--natural pins gave way to a more formal device called a fibula, which in turn evolved into the brooch.

Brooches went in and out of fashion, reemerging in the 17th century courtesy of Madame de Sevigne, a French aristocrat who is credited with popularizing faux gem-studded baubles to accent plunging necklines. More recently, French designer Coco Chanel slammed the lid on the impossibly overdressed Victorian era with chic but simple fashions that work well with rhinestones. (For the record, rhinestones originated in Bohemia; but their vogue in the 1920s was strictly an American and British phenomenon, undoubtedly sparked by vaudeville, Hollywood and other elements of popular culture.)

Designers and manufacturers who had been doing work imitative of high-priced jewelry joined in the frolic as the public exhibited a hearty appetite for gaudy "showstopper" stuff Looking for inspiration, designers rummaged through ancient history, geography, zoology and botany.