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Jewelry of Minas Gerais

Jewelry accessories are one of the greatest artistic expressions of humankind. They can symbolize cultures and specific epochs, and Brazilian jewelry is linked both to European styles and indigenous themes.

Minas Gerais is a Brazilian state known since colonial times for its abundance of gold and precious stones, especially in its riverbeds and subsoil. The region owes great part of its economic and social development to its mineral richness. Its name in Portuguese translates literally as "General Mines."

It is in the cities of Minas Gerais where some of Brazil's first notable artists flourished, such as sculptors and painters of Baroque churches. Despite the great potential of the region, goldsmith and stonework were prohibited during colonial times, and artists worked clandestinely up until the mid-nineteenth century.