All that glitters

Jewelry has been around for a long time. In the old days, 100,000 years or so ago, people festooned various body parts with beads or bones or animal teeth. They didn’t take out second mortgages and go to Harry Winston, but they were basically on the course we follow today, especially in the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day (a holiday that traces to the Roman festival of Lupercalia, which was celebrated with fertility rites and the pairing off of men and women by lottery).

“From the beginning of time, tribes in all areas of the world used adornment as a symbol of status, privilege and wealth in society,” says Debra Stevenson, president of Skyline Studios, a consulting firm in Los Angeles. “Whether they used coconut shells, beads, scarifications or diamonds, they signify the same thing . . . value in their social circle, in their tribes. It still means the same thing today.”

The allure is primeval, deeply emotional and etched in the human psyche. And -- King Tut, Louis XIV and bling-obsessed celebrity men aside -- it seems to have over the years evolved as a female-focused mania.

“For women, jewelry is better than a psychiatrist,” says Adele Sklamberg, who owns a store in Tarzana, “and costs less.”

Americans purchase jewelry year-round, but experts say about 40% of couples get engaged from November through February.

With 11 shopping days left before Feb. 14, we answer these questions, and more: What’s the difference between a natural diamond and a synthetic? Is there a best place to buy a precious jewel? How can you avoid getting snookered? And how can you fool your snobby friends? C4-5