In costume jewellery, stainless steel findings are sometimes used. The silver used in jewellery is usually sterling silver, or 92.5% fine silver. Platinum alloys range from 900 (90% pure) to 950 (95% pure). In creating jewellery, gemstones, coins, or other precious items are often used, and they are typically set into precious metals. Hair ornament, an Art Nouveau masterpiece by René Lalique circa 1902 gold, emeralds and diamonds Musée d'Orsay (Paris) These may take the form of symbols (such as the ankh), stones, plants, animals, body parts (such as the Khamsa), or glyphs (such as stylised versions of the Throne Verse in Islamic art). Wearing of amulets and devotional medals to provide protection or to ward off evil is common in some cultures. Jewellery can symbolise group membership (as in the case, of the Christian crucifix or the Jewish Star of David) or status (as in the case of chains of office, or the Western practice of married people wearing wedding rings). Many items of jewellery, such as brooches and buckles, originated as purely functional items, but evolved into decorative items as their functional requirement diminished. Alternatively, jewellery has been used as a currency or trade good. Numerous cultures store wedding dowries in the form of jewellery or make jewellery as a means to store or display coins. Most cultures at some point have had a practice of keeping large amounts of wealth stored in the form of jewellery.
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