Crystalline minerals such as fluorite have been recovered from numerous prehistoric sites in the Midcontinent yet little research had previously been conducted concerning who used it and what they used it for. Ethnohistorical accounts inform us that crystalline minerals were of importance to American Indians during the Historic Period. These accounts are used to provide a basis for exploring the possible significance of fluorite to prehistoric peoples living near outcrops located along the lower Ohio River valley. In this thesis I analyze mainly prehistoric fluorite personal adornment items as well as similar items made from other locally available raw materials such as cannel coal and clay to gain an understanding of the importance of this colorful crystalline mineral to prehistoric inhabitants of the midcontinent.

The present research investigates the interaction between Sri Lanka and its closest neighbouring region, South India, during the Early and Middle Historic periods. This connection has often been studied based on the textual evidence available on either side with little regard for the material evidence. Therefore, previous studies have fallen short of providing an objective understanding of the interactions. Furthermore, the focus of previous studies has been large-scale, state-mandated interaction. In contrast, this study has adopted a novel approach through the perspective of personal adornment and has been able to trace far closer contact between the two regions than official interaction suggests. To understand interpersonal interactions between the two regions, objects of personal adornment from seven different sites in Sri Lanka and South India were analysed. The patterns that emerge from assemblages of objects of adornment, including beads and other non-bead adornments were observed. The rationale behind this analysis was that body beautification expresses the individual and social identities of people across time and space. Consequently, it was anticipated that, by observing artefacts that are expressions of the identities and preferences of the general populace, this would shed light on interpersonal contact between the two regions. The patterns visible from the analysis of assemblages illustrate strong similarities between the two regions, during the Early and Middle Historic Periods. This is likely to have been the result of exchanging goods, ideas and technological knowledge. This study has also revealed that amidst shared cultural traits, each region developed preferences distinct from each other. The ethnographic study carried out provides further evidence of interactions between the two regions, which is missing in the texts and the archaeological record. These interactions probably reflect those which existed in the past. The integrated evidence used in this study clearly indicates longstanding, continuous personal-level interactions, between Sri Lanka and South India, which were hitherto unknown.

A new focus in Palaeolithic archaeology is to look at the possibility of the individual as a unit of analysis in the prehistoric record. This involves looking at the Palaeolithic actor as more than just an invisible entity that had a minor role in the production of long term patterns. The Palaeolithic individual was a ‘lived life’, with all aspects of agency, identity, and decision-making abilities. One area that is potentially illuminating for the examination of the individual is personal adornment, as this can lead to an understanding of the body and identity and the role of material culture in social life and self-making. A catalogue of Upper Palaeolithic sites in Europe and Siberia with evidence of items of personal adornment was recorded. From this information, patterns and sites that potentially show the individual are discussed through the categories of body, identity, and material culture.

A new focus in Palaeolithic archaeology is to look at the possibility of the individual as a unit of analysis in the prehistoric record. This involves looking at the Palaeolithic actor as more than just an invisible entity that had a minor role in the production of long term patterns. The Palaeolithic individual was a ‘lived life’, with all aspects of agency, identity, and decision-making abilities. One area that is potentially illuminating for the examination of the individual is personal adornment, as this can lead to an understanding of the body and identity and the role of material culture in social life and self-making. A catalogue of Upper Palaeolithic sites in Europe and Siberia with evidence of items of personal adornment was recorded. From this information, patterns and sites that potentially show the individual are discussed through the categories of body, identity, and material culture.

[pt] O campo joalheiro do Rio de Janeiro vivencia uma realidade impulsionada pela profissionalização de vários setores envolvidos principalmente com as etapas de criação, produção, comercialização e divulgação de novos produtos no mercado. Este cenário vem se configurando desde os anos 1990, quando o design do produto joia passa a ser trabalhado com a intenção de proporcionar novas experiências de consumo, reafirmando sobre seus usuários um encantamento pelo objeto que pode ir além do valor financeiro de sua matéria-prima, tão estimado pelas tradicionais gerações de joalheiros, e que ainda é tida como o argumento número 1 na criação de uma joia. Os cursos superiores, tecnólogos e de aprimoramento no setor, em conjunto com as novas tecnologias fabris, também trouxeram oportunidades para o campo e hoje dividem espaço com as técnicas artesanais de produção de joias. Estas, ainda muito utilizadas, resgatam as origens históricas desse objeto, que é trabalhado pelos designers sob uma nova leitura. Esta pesquisa apresenta uma breve reflexão sobre a importância da prática do design e sua atual contribuição para o campo presente no estado do Rio de Janeiro. / [en] The jewelry field in Rio de Janeiro has showed a reality driven by the professionalization of several sectors, committed mainly with the steps of creation, production, commercialization and marketing of new products. This scenery has been outlined since the 1990 s, when the design of the product jewelry started to be worked out with the intention of offer new consumer experiences, confirming on its wearers an enchantment by the object beyond the financial value of its raw material, so appreciated by the traditional generations of jewelers, and which still is considered the argument number one for the creation of jewelry. Undergraduate courses offered by universities, technical courses and any other formation to improve professionals of this sector, together with new technologies for the textile industry, have also brought opportunities for the field, and today they share this space with the artisanal techniques for the production of jewelry. Still quite used, they bring back the historical origins of this object, which has been revisited by the designers. This research presents a brief reflection about the importance of the design and its current contribution to the field in the Rio de Janeiro state.

[pt] Na atual conjuntura do país os modos de trabalho tornam-se cada vez mais fragmentados, direcionando os profissionais para a atuação individual e informal. Este processo reverbera em diversos setores produtivos, dentre eles o Setor de Gemas, Joias e Afins. Para os profissionais do Campo do Design, que se direcionam para o trabalho com joalheria, a criação de marca própria é um destes modos de atuação autônoma proporcionados pela estrutura. Paralelamente, as redes sociais digitais são divulgadas como uma das formas de resolução para os problemas sociais que decorrem deste contexto. Esta dissertação apresenta uma reflexão sobre a atuação profissional de designers de joias autônomos dentro de uma destas redes, o Instagram, tendo como ponto de partida a análise das construções sociais que deram origem ao Campo do Design no Brasil, bem como ao Setor de Gemas, Joias e Afins. Objetiva-se compreender como estes trabalhadores se constituem enquanto agentes do setor, e identificar as potencialidades e os obstáculos que encontram neste contexto. / [en] In the current context of the country, an outcome of the capitalist structure in which we are inserted, the ways of working are becoming increasingly fragmented, directing professionals to individual and informal labour. This process reverberates in several productive sectors, among them the Gem, Jewellry and Related Sector. For professionals in the field of Design who aim to work with jewellry, the creation of their own brand is one of these modes of autonomous action provided by the structure. At the same time, digital social networks are widespread as one of the ways of solving the social problems that arise from this context. This dissertation presents a reflection on the professional performance of autonomous jewelry designers within one of these digital social networks, Instagram, having as a starting point the analysis of the social constructions that gave rise to the Design Field in Brazil, as well as the Gem Sector, Jewelry and the like. The objective is to understand how these workers constitute themselves as agents of the sector, and to identify the potentialities and obstacles they find in this context.