Short answers, pulled from the story.
The oldest known jewellery is 100,000-year-old beads made from Nassarius shells. The earliest examples were created by hominin precursors of modern humans, including perforated shell beads found in the Bizmoune cave near Essaouira, Morocco, dated to about 142,000 years.
The word jewellery derives from jewel, which was anglicised from the Old French jouel, and beyond that from the Latin word jocale, meaning plaything. It is spelled jewellery in British, Indian, and several other forms of English, and jewelry in American English.
The use of diamonds in jewellery dates back to the marriage of Maximilian I to Mary of Burgundy in 1477. Diamonds were first mined in India, with some mines dating back to 296 BC.
The British crown jewels contain the Cullinan Diamond, part of the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found in 1905, at 3,106.75 carats. It is one of the most significant gemstones in the royal collection.
Islam considers the wearing of gold by men as Haraam. Most Islamic jewellery took the form of bridal dowries and was sold at the souk and recycled after a woman's death, which is why Islamic jewellery from before the 19th century is exceedingly rare.
The Indian subcontinent holds the longest continuous legacy of jewellery making anywhere, with a history stretching back more than 5,000 years. India prospered financially through the export and exchange of precious metals and gems.