Ancient Egypt (2600 BC – 20 BC)

  • Most jewelery was made from gold, as Egypt had abundant supplies. Other precious materials included lapis lazuli, turquoise, carnelian, and faience (a glazed ceramic).
  • Common jewelry types included necklaces, collars, pectorals (chest ornaments), rings, bracelets, earrings, and head ornaments like diadems.
  • Jewelry designs often incorporated symbolism from Egyptian mythology and religion. Scarab beetles, the Eye of Horus, ankhs, and the vulture goddess Nekhbet were common motifs.
  • Pharaohs wore ornate jewelry like broad collars, pectorals, bracelets and rings to emphasize their divine status. Royal women also wore elaborate jewelry.
  • Techniques like cloisonné, filigree, and granulation were used. Jewelers also incorporated glass, faience, and precious gemstones into designs.
  • Jewelry was buried with mummies, to be used in the afterlife. The tomb of Tutankhamun contained a huge cache of ancient Egyptian jewelry in gold and semi-precious stones.
  • Ancient jewelry has provided insight into metallurgy, gemology, art, religion, and trade in ancient Egypt. High quality jewelry indicates advanced craftsmanship for the time.

Ancient Rome (753 BC – 476 AD)

  • Roman jewelry reflected the empire’s wealth and trade networks. Jewelry was imported from regions like Egypt, Asia Minor, and India.
  • Gold was the preferred metal, though silver, bronze and iron were also used. Precious and semi-precious gemstones were incorporated, like diamonds, emeralds, pearls, and amber.
  • Common types of Roman jewelry included rings, necklaces, pendants, bracelets, armbands, pins, brooches, and earrings. Jeweled wreaths and diadems were popular as head ornaments.
  • Women wore striking amounts of jewelry to display their family’s affluence. Gold snake bracelets, large gemstone rings, layered necklaces, and elaborate earrings were common.
  • Men often wore a finger ring and sometimes wrist bands or neck chains. Bulla necklaces with enclosed amulets were worn by male children for protection.
  • Techniques like filigree, granulation, glass-casting, engraving, and enamelwork were used. Jewelry often incorporated motifs from Greek and Roman mythology.
  • The discovery of buried Roman hoards gives insight into jewelry fashions. Hoards also contained tools and molds, shedding light on Roman jewelry-making.
  • As Christianity spread, Christian symbols like crosses and the Chi-Rho monogram became popular in jewelry designs.
  • Roman jewelry has been found across the empire’s archaeological sites, from Britain to Egypt. It demonstrates the wealth, extensive trade, and refined craftsmanship of ancient Rome.

Middle Ages in Europe (500 – 1500 AD)

  • Jewelry was a symbol of status, wealth, and power. Fine materials and craftsmanship displayed affluence.
  • Gold and precious gemstones were favored by nobility and royalty. Commoners wore simpler pieces made from copper alloys, iron, bone, and carved wood.
  • Medieval jewelry included rings, brooches, pendants, bracelets, belt buckles, and elaborately decorated headpieces. Religious jewelry like crosses and pilgrim badges were also common.
  • Jewelry often incorporated Christian symbols and imagery. Common motifs included crosses, saints, angels, and biblical scenes.
  • Jewelry reflected Gothic stylistic influences in the later Middle Ages. Bright colors, natural motifs, large gemstones, and delicate goldwork characterized the Gothic jewelry aesthetic.
  • Techniques like enameling, filigree, engraving, niello, and embossing were used to decorate jewelry. Complex multi-part brooches and pendants emerged.
  • Crusaders brought back vivid gemstones and pearls, which were then used in jewelry. Trade also introduced new styles, materials, and techniques from the Byzantine and Islamic worlds.
  • Jewelry was subject to Sumptuary Laws that regulated who could wear specific materials and designs based on social rank.
  • Medieval jewelry has been discovered in church and burial hoards providing insights into medieval life, beliefs, and trade networks across Europe and beyond.

Renaissance (1400 – 1600 AD)

  • Jewelry design was transformed in the Renaissance by new techniques, more naturalistic styles, and the influence of ancient Greek and Roman jewelry.
  • Goldsmiths created highly ornamented pieces using techniques like enameling, niello, engraving, casting, and stonecutting. Filigree and pavé settings allowed more surface decoration.
  • Jewelry featured geometric shapes, scrolling vines, flowers, insects, seashells, mythical beasts, and allegorical figures. Portraiture in miniature became popular.
  • Stones like diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires were cut in round or oval shapes and set in delicate metalwork. Jewelers prized large, symmetrical, and lustrous gemstones.
  • Popular jewelry types included rings, pendants, hat badges, belt buckles, buttons, and elaborately chained necklaces. Wealthy women wore many strands of pearls.
  • Mourning jewelry containing the hair or portrait of the deceased was introduced. Betrothal rings and lovers’ eye miniatures were also exchanged as tokens.
  • Men wore signet rings, hat badges with coats of arms, military decorations, and pendants with family initials or mottoes.
  • Sumptuary laws still dictated who could wear specific jewelry types, materials, and designs based on social status.
  • Jewelry revealed growing world trade networks that imported gemstones and cultivated new styles. It also demonstrated the wealth and tastes of emerging merchant classes.