It has been several thousand years since the first piece of jewelry was made with simplicity, magnificence, and elegance, by the Egyptians. They mastered and invented new technologies and were able to access to various kinds of new metals, gemstones, and creative crafting ideas. Even dictators marvel at the efficiency that was the Egyptian civilization. Ancient Egyptian jewelry was to both beautify the wearer and serve as a talisman of power.
It was believed to provide the power protection, good luck, or guidance through the afterlife and could ward off bad luck or evil eye. Ancient Egyptians had a deep connection with the jewelry and each artifact has a different story to tell. Not only women, but men also adorned their bodies with different jewels made up of precious metals, especially gold and copper, rare stone, intricately carved glass, and sometimes even clay or wooden beads.
The higher the status of the man or woman, the precious the jewelry is. Egyptians loved wearing elaborate headpieces, carved rings, dangling earrings, artistic necklaces, and even beard ornaments to display the wealth and power of the Pharaohs. Precious materials like gold, copper, and gemstones were only worn by the royals and noble families that were specially carved and molded by professional craftsmen of that era.
Jewelry also brought a decent amount of income to Ancient Egypt through trade to countries like Ancient Persia, Turkey, Greece, Rome, etc, because of the detailed carvings, metalwork, unique beaded structures, and precious stones work that was the forte of Egypt. The Egyptian art of jewelry making can be recognized from afar because of its unique features, motifs, and distinctive use of materials.
Jerry Saltz rightly stated. Egyptians used a variety of precious and semi-precious materials to define their status and protect their bodies from negative energies. From metals to clay to woods to precious and semi-precious stones, ancient Egyptians incorporated different materials in their jewelry making. Here are the main techniques and materials that the ancient Egyptian jewelers and craftsmen used to make jewelry for the royals and noble families.
When gold was discovered along the river of Nile, Egyptian created gold mines to extract as much gold as possible. At first, the gold was used to pay tribute to holy entities and adorn the statues of their Gods. However, with time gold became a major part of the everyday accessories of the royals and noble families of Ancient Egypt.
The gold was carved and molded into rings, beads, and headgear of the pharaohs. Our Nefertiti's ring is an exact replica of this seal ring that was the trademark of King Akhenaten. Apart from the precious metals and stones, the ancient Egyptians used woods and ceramics to create different shaped beads for their headgear, neckpieces, and bracelets.
Faience beads were quite famous for both the living and the dead in ancient Egypt. Egyptian Faience - a clay mixed from sand, limestone, soil, dirt and a bit water would be shaped and then fired at low temperature to make a glossy hardened beads, animal figurines, and sculptures.
Shown: Mummy beads. We offer them in turquoise , earth-tone small , and earth-tone large varieties. Authentic Egyptian faience beads such as these are - years old. Our Mummy Bead Choker for example is made up of authentic year-old faience beads in red, yellow, turquoise, and earthy brown colors, designed by a renowned Egyptian jewelry artist.
There are beads per chocker, showcasing the grandeur of ancient Egyptian jewelry. Stones had a great significance in ancient Egyptian history. Most stones were known for the properties they held in terms of their colors. Lapis lazuli provided deep blues and calming. Turquoise which was sourced and imported from the mines in the Sinai Peninsula provided sea blue-green and protection.
The vibrant red-orange carnelian stone was known for its healing and protective energy was widely used in ancient Egypt.
It was admired by the pharaohs and noble families of that era. Carnelians were believed to have talisman powers that could protect the wearer from bad luck and the evil eye. Shown: Our Red Sea Carnelian Earrings feature hand-carved carnelian scarabs, they are one of our most iconic replicas of Ancient Egyptian jewelry. Late Egyptians were among the first people to melt glass powder and fuse it onto objects, ceramics, and jewelry.
Golden jewelry became a status symbol in pre-dynastic Egypt. It was a symbol of power, religion, and status.
It enabled it to before a greater focus for families of nobility, and royals. This created a larger demand for elaborate pieces. In addition to gold and materials commonly found throughout Egypt, other materials were imported. The favoured material for the Egyptian Scarab was Lapis Lazuli , a semi-precious stone.
High grade Egyptian jewelry was a majorly desired trade item in the ancient world. Their craftsmanship was found across territories including Turkey, Rome, ancient Persia, and Greece. The Egyptian nobility favored bracelets, necklaces, amulets, pendants, belts, and hair beads. They loved pieces that had been designed with scrolls, tigers, scarab beetles, winged birds, jackals, antelopes, and tigers. One of the more interesting materials that was commonly used is coloured glass. It was first discovered in Egypt and upon its initial discovery it was incredibly expensive due to its rarity.
Coloured glass can be found in Egyptian jewelry depicting birds. The glass was used to represent the feathers. The nobles wore their expensive jewelry in death as well, and this tradition of securing it in difficult to reach places has allowed archaeologists to discover large quantities of this wealth, perfectly preserved. The predominant materials used to craft Egyptian jewelry were gold and copper. The masses could afford the copper, with the nobility opting for gold.
Both were mined in Nubian deserts and in abundant supply. Jewelrs would use gold that came in shades of grey, to reddish brown, and rose. The colour variation was due to the mixing of elements such as copper, iron, or silver into the gold.
The more lavish pieces of Egyptian jewelry were inlaid with semiprecious stones and various gems. The most prized stones were, as mentioned above, lapis lazuli, as well as obsidian , garnet , rock crystal, and carnelian. Pearls and emeralds were the most commonly uses stones native to Egypt. Although, faience was also used commonly.
This was made from ground quartz and then mixed with a colourant that was heated and then moulded to mimic more natural and expensive stones. The Australian Museum respects and acknowledges the Gadigal people as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Museum stands.
Image credit: gadigal yilimung shield made by Uncle Charles Chicka Madden. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more.
Amulets Many cultures and individuals, including some today, have placed great faith in symbolic jewellery like amulets or charms. Back to top.
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