Fashion with Abundant Gems and Pearls: Analysis of the Style of Jewelry in Jiajing and Wanli Periods of Ming Dynasty

In the Jiajing and Wanli periods of Ming Dynasty, the society has formed an atmosphere of comparison and luxury. Under the trend lead by the upper class at that time, the intensive inlaying of gems changed the style of jewelry in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, and the design style of jewelry inlaid with plenty of gems was gradually formed and emerged a new fashion. This paper analyzed the jewelry style at that periods from the perspectives of material, colour matching and pattern. It discussed the large-scale purchase and full set inlay of gems, analyzed the colour matching of the gems, the secular themes and the stylized composition in jewelry design at that period. Through this study, the author hopes to provide some new understandings and references for the jewelry style of Ming Dynasty.