Year: 1800

One would assume that jewelry has always been an ornament worn by people to show off their beauty and social status in life. In actuality, the Navajo Indians as a type of protection plate wore one of the first pieces of jewelry. The Navajo men wore wrist guards, known as ketoh, when they spent their time hunting for game in the wilderness. The ketoh was first, a piece of leather that kept the string of their bow and arrow from snapping against the warriors wrist. It protected them from the potential wrist burn that they could receive while the arrow was shot towards another man or animal. The first ketoh were simple in nature and structure. There was no need for fancy or elaborate designs because that was not it s purpose. The designs that were included on this piece of protection gear included those of the four elements. Also, according to the Squash Blossoms and Stars web page the ketoh, ÒKetohs have a center motif, sometimes with a central ornament, and four curvilinear shapes that radiate toward the corners.Ó Later on in years these protection plates were no longer used as hunting gear but rather that of decoration, which today we would call a bracelet.

Year: 2050

I predict that in the year 2050 there will no actual physical jewelry left. They may be collected by museums or as heirlooms, but as an everyday accessory, they will no longer exist. As a substitute to fine jewelry the good people of this planet will have miniscule holographic images that project absolutely any kind of trinket. If they want a bracelet that resembles one worn by Queen Elizabeth they can, or if they would like to design a piece of their very own imagination, more power to them. In the year 2050 the running motto is cheap and efficient and who can get more cheap or efficient than having something that is not really there. Holographs are the wave of the future so goodbye to all of those snotty Tiffany employees that always seem to have something permanently lodged up their rear ends and hello to a girlÕs new best friend. Also, jewelry theft is no longer a problem. Crime rates go down and people feel more safe living in their own homes, which is always a plus in anyoneÕs mind.
http://www.millicentrogers.com/jewelry/navajo_jewelry/ketoh.html
http://www.indianvillage.com/stories/IndianJewelry.htm