Sequins are disk-shaped beads used for decorative purposes. They are available in a wide variety of colors and geometrical shapes. Sequins are commonly used on clothing

Clothing

Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...

, jewelry, bags

Bags

-Nickname:* Jeff Bagwell, a former Major League Baseball player* Milt Jackson, a famous jazz vibraphonist nicknamed "Bags"-Other:* Oxford bags, a form of baggy trousers originating from the University of Oxford* Cornhole, a game commonly referred to as bags...

, shoes and lots of other accessories. Large sequins, fastened only at the top, have been used on billboards and other signage, particularly prior to the development of lighted and neon sign

Neon sign

Neon signs are made using electrified, luminous tube lights that contain rarefied neon or other gases. They are the most common use for neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in December, 1910 by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show. While they are used worldwide, neon signs...

s. Signs made with sequins were called schmaltz, as were the sequins themselves in that context.

Evidence exists that gold

Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...

 sequins were being used as decoration on clothing or paraphernalia in the Indus Valley as early as 2500BC, during the Kot Diji

Kot Diji

The ancient site at Kot Diji was the forerunner of the Indus Civilization. The people of this site lived about 3000 BCE. The remains consist of two parts; the citadel area on high ground , and outer area...

 phase.

Although coins are still used as sequins in some cultures, modern sequins tend to be made of plastic

Plastic

A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...

. They may also be referred to as spangles, paillettes, or diamantes. Paillettes themselves are commonly very large and flat. Sequins may be stitched flat to the fabric, so that they do not move, and are less likely to fall off; or they may be stitched at only one point, so that they dangle and move easily, to catch more light. Some sequins are made with facet

Facet

Facets are flat faces on geometric shapes. The organization of naturally occurring facets was key to early developments in crystallography, since they reflect the underlying symmetry of the crystal structure...

s, to increase their reflective ability.

Etymology

The word sequin is said to be the French derivation of the Italian zecchino, a pure gold coin minted by the Venetians in 1284. Zecca is "a mint", from Arabic

Arabic language

Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...

 sikkah "a minting die", meaning "ornamental disc or spangle".

Coins

Coins known as sequins

Sequin (coin)

The sequin is a gold coin weighing of .986 gold, minted by the Republic of Venice from the 13th century onwards.The design of the Venetian gold ducat, or zecchino, remained unchanged for over 500 years, from its introduction in 1284 to the takeover of Venice by Napoleon in 1797...

 were used for centuries throughout the Mediterranean, especially near the Persian Gulf

Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...

. In the cultures where these sequins circulated, the custom of stitching sequins and similar coins to women's clothing, particularly headdresses, face veils, and over the bosom and hips, originally arose as a way to display (and store) the family's wealth. It was this ancient custom that led to the use of sequined fabric and trims in modern fashion, and expanded the definition of sequin beyond coins to include this particular type of decoration.