One way women who wanted to wear jewellery but still be 'in good taste' could get around this problem was by wearing ornaments that served a purpose - Chatelaines.
Chatelaines were originally the keys to the castle, worn in earlier centuries by the Lady of the castle, then later by the housekeeper of great houses. At a time when pockets in women's clothing were seen as symbols of privacy and secrecy, and depicted in paintings to symbolise a woman's private (sexual) life and therefore her immorality (!), the keys to the castle were worn on a chain fastened over the clothes around the waist. N.B. - I'd intended that to be a shorter sentence, and to provide a single link to explain. Turns out this is a larger topic than I'd remembered, and a single link won't be enough. Try here, here, or here, for some good articles on the history of women's pockets.
