Authentic Buddhist jewelry mostly comes from Tibet and Nepal. Rings, pendants and Mala (prayer beads) are common examples. Wearing jewelry nowadays mostly has aesthetic reasons only apart from e.g. Mala beads. When we look at our history though we wore bracelets, necklaces for other purposes too. Many pieces had little bells or made sounds in another way. Their function was to ward of evil ghosts, bad karma and, more down to earth (literally) snakes, scorpions and other dangerous creatures. Other purposes were the use as combs, hair pins, buckles and to distinguish oneself regarding rank, wealth and status.
Buddhism has its own unique beliefs and uses. In order to learn about the symbolic meanings of its jewelry we have to start at the basis. Buddha or Siddhartha Gautama or The Awakened One probably needs no explanation. But terms like the Om Asta Mangala, the Eternity Knot, Mandala and Mala which are fundamentals for many Buddhist designs could probably be explained in order to
