Gold is practically symbolic of value, and has been for a very long time, but I was wondering what could fulfill a similar role in a time before metallurgy existed.
One substance that was prized by early civilizations was baltic amber. A type of amber only found on the shores of the Baltic has been found in ancient sites in the Mediterranean area, and was talked about in Greek texts.
It has been found in both the tombs of pharaohs and places like Mycenae which means it was being traded long distances 3300 years ago. Of course this was after metal was being used.
But here here is a source talking about amber's importance even earlier:
"The cultural importance of amber is evident from the many thousands of artefacts, especially pieces of personal adornment in the form of beads and amulets, found at New and Old World archaeological sites from late Palaeolithic times onwards (Grimaldi 1996: 145-8). In Europe, Baltic amber was particularly highly prized appearing to have been transported since the Neolithic, with trade routes emerging in the Bronze Age (Bouzek 1993). The occurrence of amber in the Ancient Near East, however, is rare and often ambiguous, with the earliest putative examples taking the form of singular beads dating to the first half of the second millennium BC (Moorey 1994: 79-81). "
http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/propylaeumdok/892/1/Pfaelzner_Qatna_lion_2008.pdf
In California, olivella shells were pretty important, they were used in long-distance exchange networks.
Other fancy materials include obsidian, soapstone/ steatite, abalone shell, and naturally occurring quartz crystals. Obsidian is valued due to its ability to keep a sharp edge when knapped. Soapstone/ steatite was used to make pendants, and the process required some skill. It was also used to make stone bowls. Abalone shell was also used to make pendants, and it's a very beautiful type of shell. Finally, quartz crystals are naturally occurring beauties.
