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the History of Roman Jewelry and Greek Influences
Roman jewelry and Greek jewelry has been of great influence to many contemporary and classic designers. Greeks and Romans traded consistently with neighboring countries, therefore their jewelry varied both in design and construction. As part of their trading practices, they acquired precious stones from the Silk Road that expanded from Persia, India and to the Far East. The Roman and Greek culture made used of the accessibility of the wide variety of natural resources available across Europe and the Mediterranean continents. The Roman’s had a functional use as well as a decorative purpose for the jewelry they created; A fine example is the brooch, which was used to secure clothing items. They also design “the fibula” a utilitarian piece of jewelry that was common throughout Roman history. The fibula was an ornately decorated and embellished with a glyptic cameo or intaglio of a female bust, or a winged Victory carving. The Roman’s used this piece of jewelry to secure their clothing.
Roman Jewelry Design Motifs
The motifs found in Roman jewelry were influenced by Greek and Etruscan design. They also developed many other design inspired by the cultures they conquered and traded with. Initially, Roman jewelry was somewhat more conservative and austere, when compared with other Mediterranean cultures, but relentless plundering soon led to a more ostentatious lifestyle.
An example of inspired Greek design was the Herakles knot, also known as the "knot of Hercules," or "marriage-knot." This talisman was used to ward off evil. The "Isis crown" was another motif borrowed from ancient Egypt, which was used frequently in earrings that were created during the second century BC.
The History of Jewelry- Influence of Greek Jewelry Designs and MotifsThe first examples of Greek Jewelry are small beads shaped in the form of various animals and shells. Later on they started to incorporate gemstones and gold into their various jewelry designs.In 300 B.C. the Greeks begin to experiment with colored by utilizing amethysts, pearls, and emeralds. They made cameos from a striped down pink and cream agate. This was the case with most cultures, Greek jewelry designs started off simply, but as time progressed, and the jewelry making tools became more sophisticated they grew increasingly more luxurious and complex. Jewelry was used mostly for special occasions and was a gift given to women to show their social status. and wealth. It was believed that jewelry had mystical powers and protected people against the “evil eye.” Most of the Greek jewelry of this time period was made from silver, gold, ivory, gemstones, clay, and bronze.
From Roman Jewelry to Hisory of Medieval Jewerly
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Today many jewelry artists are inspired by the Roman and Greek jewelry designs. Contemporary jewelry integrates not only the classic designs, but the coins and glass from the era. 
