Crafts made by skilled hand workers are called "artisanal." An artisan is also called a craftsman because he or she makes something by hand using tools and, very rarely, machines in a certain way.
During the Middle Ages, craftsmen in Europe got together to form guilds, which were groups of master craftsmen. The local government gave these guilds charters. To become an artisan in a guild, a person had to learn from a master artisan as an unpaid apprentice. If the apprentice finished his training, he got paid and became a journeyman. To become a master artisan, though, he had to make a masterpiece that met the guild's standards.
Artists have been making things with their hands and minds for a long time. Some handmade jewellery is as old as 7000 BC, when gold and copper were first used to decorate people.
Before the industrial revolution, most goods were made by hand by artisans. To this day, artisans still make the most beautiful pottery, furniture, jewellery, tapestries, and glassware. Think about the master artists who make glass in Venice and the master artists who make tapestries in France. In some small, out-of-the-way towns in Italy and Peru, the whole town depends on the money made by its artists.
Jewelry that was made by hand is highly valued, especially if it comes from a certain culture. Artisans in Italy make cameos, and Native Americans make some very beautiful turquoise pieces. Cameos, rugs, woven baskets, and wood carvings, like those made by African tribal artists, are some other types of handicrafts made by artists.
