Unique Beach Jewelry, Silver & Gold Sea Jewelry, Anklets & Toe Rings

Her slender and beautiful foot glides quietly in seemingly liquid motion when enhanced with a delicate anklet. And so it goes with the lovely anklet. In researching the history of anklets, one readily finds the mysterious, the unique and the titillating in anklets. It is so easy to understand the underlying sensual attraction to the lovely foot. Any woman with her seductive power about her will easily slip into this delicate footwear. As we journey back to the medieval times, imagine the lovely seductress with her tiny bells tinkling with every motion and picture the wayward wife brought back to reality as her husband shadows her every step with her little bells.

The History Of Anklets

Throughout the history of anklets, these charming accessories adorned the feet of women in Rome and India as well as Egypt and Mesopotamia. Their function seemed to be diverse and their composition varied. Seduction ranked high on the list of priorities for the lovely Roman women. They were resplendent when attired in this “almost-not-there” so-called footwear, thus the delicate and expensive trappings of the anklet included delightful little tinkling bells. For many centuries, the unmarried women of India wore anklets or slave anklets as they were generally known and they were worn on either foot. These mysterious dark beauties also delighted in the sensuous look of the anklet.

Still others in the Roman Empire believed the seemingly alluring anklet to broadcast the woman's message loud and clear: chastity! Whether engineered and designed with precious stones, simple chain made of numerous links or a heavier metal, chastity or purity was the whole point of the footwear according to legend. While exploring the history of anklets, it is noteworthy to include the poor and downtrodden. Just as there are knock-offs and look-alikes today for everything from perfume to sports gear, so too did the poor in ancient Rome and medieval times attempt to create their own "generic" wearing apparel. To have one's feet completely bare of any trappings was automatically associated with abject poverty. Therefore, the poor would design anklets to simulate their wealthy counterparts with bits and pieces of leather or fabric cording.

While modern women generally choose to wear their anklet on the right foot, there seemed to be no rhyme or reason when selecting the right or left foot for an anklet. However, anchoring on the toe had significance in different cultures. In ancient Mesopotamia, or modern Iraq, the toe ring was on the third toe, the Greeks adorned only the first digit and the Romans, the second toe. These strange, yet alluring anklets decorate the dancer's foot, alert a suspecting husband of his wife's whereabouts and legend has it that slaves could not escape for the noise of their anklets. The history and use of anklets, or ankle bracelets, is both informative and almost secretive in its alluring qualities, making one want to delve deeper. They are worn today by both men and women and are created from any number of precious metals, including gold and silver.

You will see that history of the anklet repeats itself in modern beachwear. Look at the simple flip-flop and imagine it without the sole. So closely resembling the anklet, flip flops are constructed from countless types of materials from simple rubber or plastic to exotic beads, rhinestones and silk cords. A simple, yet natural anklet for the modern hippie-type is assembled with utilitarian leather straps, while the modern diva yearns for the seductive light and airy feel with delicate chain and tiny bells. The history of the anklet suggests a life of romantic luxury for the well to do and was often seen as simplicity in elegance. Whether called anklets, slave anklets or ankle bracelets, these foot pretties have transcended time, gender and income.