HISTORY OF JEWELRY AND ORIGIN: Egyptian Jewelry

The ancient Egyptians placed great importance on the religious significance of certain sacred objects, which was heavily reflected in their jewelry motifs. Gem carvings known as "glyptic art" typically took the form of scarab beetles and other anthropomorphic religious symbols. The Egyptian lapidary would use emery fragments or flint to carve softer stones, while bow-driven rotary tools were used on harder gems.

Monument building, along with opulent collections of furniture, art, and jewelry helped to symbolize the glory, power, and religious dominance of the Pharaohs, both within the community, and throughout the broader region. This projection of wealth was not only important in one's earthly life, but became especially important in their after-life.

In ancient Egypt both men and women wore jewelry; not only as a symbol of wealth and status, but also for aesthetic adornment, and as protection from evil. Although the deceased was always buried with their earthy possessions, tomb-robbers have plundered much of Egypt's buried treasures long ago. Amazingly, much of the stolen treasure would be recycled by successive Kings for their own use in the afterlife.

Gold was the metal of choice for the Ancient Egyptians, and it was used extensively throughout the several thousand year history of pharaonic Egypt [2]. Bronze was also used extensively, and would sometimes be covered in gold-leaf. The Egyptians also used an alloy of gold, silver and a trace amount of copper called "electrum," which occurred naturally in Lydia (Western Anatolia). Electrum was mentioned in an expedition sent by the Fifth dynasty Pharaoh, Sahure.

Although the Egyptians had access to many precious gemstones, they preferred to emulate their colors using polychrome glass, because natural gemstones were much harder to work with. The use of cold-worked glass in jewelry may have been an invention of the Middle Kingdom, around 2000 BC. Solidified glass was also formed into beads, amulets and shawabtis, which were small figurines that were buried with the deceased. Clay objects known as "faience ware" were coated with vitreous glass glaze made of silica-sand, clay, and soapstone (steatite), and glass was used as an enamel inlay in metal jewelry. Egyptian enameling was the precursor to cloisonné, and the rich opaque enamel colors included cobalt or turquoise blue, green, purple, and white.

There were also several softer gems that were perennial favorites with the ancient Egyptians. Carnelian, jasper, lapis lazuli, malachite, rock crystal (quartz) and turquoise were all used extensively throughout ancient Egypt. In many ancient cultures royalty was represented by the color blue, and this was especially true in ancient Egypt, making lapis one of the most prized of all gemstones.

Most of the raw materials that were used to make jewelry were found in, or near Egypt, but certain prized materials such as lapis lazuli were imported from as far away as Afghanistan. One locally-obtained gemstone which was said to be Queen Cleopatra's favorite was emerald, which was mined near the Red Sea, at the Wadi Sikait Emerald Mines in Mons Smaragdus, Egypt.

Courtesy: Google