<h3>Transcript</h3>
Voice 1&nbsp;

Welcome to Spotlight. I&rsquo;m Liz Waid.

Voice 2&nbsp;

And I&rsquo;m Colin Lowther. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1&nbsp;

Do you have a metal ring on your finger? Are you wearing a necklace or earrings? These are pieces of jewelry. They are a form of art that people can wear. All over the world, people have worn jewelry for centuries. People wear jewelry on their heads, around their waists and ankles, on their fingers and toes, and even on their belly buttons! Today&rsquo;s Spotlight is on how people make and wear jewelry around the world.

Voice 2&nbsp;

The word &ldquo;jewelry&rdquo; comes from the English word &ldquo;jewel.&rdquo; Jewels are valuable stones. Some popular jewels are white shiny diamonds, dark red rubies, and blue sapphires. People often use these valuable stones to make jewelry. But people create jewelry using many different materials. Some people make jewelry from simple, natural materials like sea shells, stones or sticks. Others use parts of animals such as bones, teeth, feathers, hair, or even eggs.

Voice 1&nbsp;

The oldest jewelry ever discovered is from Morocco in North Africa. It is over 80,000 years old. Scientists found many small shells covered with red clay. Ancient people had decorated these to wear them. Scientists also found bead necklaces made with small snail shells in South Africa. They think people wore these 75,000 years ago.

Voice 2&nbsp;

Experts believe that Ancient Egypt was the first culture to widely produce jewelry. They had artists whose only job was to make jewelry for people to wear. They made it mainly from gold and valuable stones. Jewelry in ancient Egypt was large and bright. It often included the symbol of the scarab beetle. This insect was important to ancient Egyptian culture. People believed it would protect them from harm.

Voice 1&nbsp;

Today, people all over the world make and wear jewelry for many different reasons. Jewelry can show power and wealth. It is a symbol of something special and valuable. Many people give jewelry as a gift. Some people believe that jewelry can even give protection or bring good health, like the scarab beetle in Ancient Egypt. Jewelry can also be a symbol. It can show that someone belongs to a certain group. For example, Jewish people may wear a Star of David. Christians may wear a crucifix, or cross.

Voice 2&nbsp;

Jewelry can also show a person&rsquo;s position in society. A king or queen often wears a valuable crown on his or her head. A person who is married may wear a ring on a particular finger. Each culture in the world has popular and meaningful jewelry. And, of course, people wear jewelry to look more beautiful! Luke Haley and Robin Basselin share some examples of how and why people wear jewelry in different parts of the world:

Voice 4&nbsp;

In China, many people make jewelry using jade. Jade is a beautiful green stone. Jade can be even more valuable than gold or silver. Chinese tradition connects jade to health, luck, and beauty. Many people like to wear jade bracelets around their left wrist. They believe that the jade rubs against an important vein that carries blood to the heart. Because of this they think jade can help to heal the body.

Voice 3&nbsp;

The Cashinahua people live in eastern Peru in the Amazon rainforest. The forest plants and animals provide the materials for their jewelry. Cashinahua people make it from seeds, bird feathers, and monkeys&rsquo; teeth. Each different material has a special meaning. The Cashinahua often wear feathers on their heads. The feathers represent the family, age and wealth of the person wearing them.

Voice 4&nbsp;

Benin is in West Africa, on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Here, people make jewelry out of coral. Coral is a hard material. It is the remains of some sea animals. It can be white, pink or even bright red in colour. The king of Benin is called the Oba. Only the Oba can wear coral covering his whole body. An ancient story says that long ago a king of Benin took small round pieces of coral from under the sea. They believe the king took these coral beads from the underwater kingdom of the sea god. So when the Oba wears the coral, he becomes like a god too.

Voice 3&nbsp;

Traditional jewelry in Eastern Europe is often made of amber. For centuries people have been harvesting amber from the Baltic Sea. Amber is a yellow jewel. But it is not a stone. It is made from natural materials including resin -&nbsp; a thick liquid from inside trees. Over many centuries, the resin becomes hard amber. Many people believe that it is good for their health to wear amber around their necks or wrists. In countries such as Poland and Lithuania, people wear amber in traditional wedding jewelry.

Voice 4&nbsp;

In parts of Nigeria, women wear brass metal around their ankles. The brass is very heavy. Wearing this brass jewelry makes walking very difficult. But women like to wear the brass because it represents wealth and a high position in the community. Some women do <em>not</em> have the money to buy brass for their ankles. But they may walk as if they are wearing the brass. This suggests to other people that they are wealthy too.

Voice 1&nbsp;

Jewelry is of great value to people all over the world. There are many famous songs and poems about beautiful jewels. The Christian Bible also talks about jewelry. But it compares jewelry to something you might not expect &ndash; wisdom! The Bible says this about wisdom:

Voice 5&nbsp;

&ldquo;It cannot be bought with the finest gold. Its price cannot be weighed in silver. It cannot be bought with priceless jewels like onyx or sapphires.<br />
Wisdom is worth more than rubies. Nothing you want can compare with her&rdquo;<br />
(Job 28:15-16, Proverbs 8:10)

Voice 2&nbsp;

What kinds of jewelry do you like? What in your life is <em>more</em> valuable than jewelry? You can leave a comment on our website. Or email us at <a href="mailto:radio@radioenglish.net">radio@radioenglish.net</a>. You can also comment on Facebook at <a href="http://Facebook.com/spotlightradio">Facebook.com/spotlightradio</a>.

Voice 1&nbsp;

The writers of this program were Rebekah Schipper and Rena Dam. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at <a href="http://www.radioenglish.net">www.radioenglish.net</a>. This program is called, "Jewelry Around the World".

Voice 2&nbsp;

We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.



Question:
What kinds of jewelry do you wear? Does it have any special meaning?


