Ancient Egypt Jewelry Has Inspired Many Jewelry Designers Throughout the Years

Ancient Egypt jewelry was more than an ornamental item.

Jewelry had a religious and magical significance and it was believed to protect the wearer from evil.

Egyptians didn't make a distinction between amulets and ornamental jewelry.

Amulets were worn from infancy through death Due to this religious role, jewelry items were much needed by the deceased in his afterlife journey, and jewelry was buried with the dead. In fact ancient Egyptians prepared themselves from early life to their death day by collecting as much protective jewelry as possible to be buried with them. That is why today, there have been many discoveries of tombs containing jewelry and ornamental ware.

The most prominent is the Tomb of Tutankhamun

During the Badari and Naqada eras ancient Egypt Jewelry was made from simple natural materials; including, plant branches, shells, beads, solid stones or bones.

Threads of flax or cow hair were often used to string together necklaces and amulets. Glass substances were used to paint stones in order to give jewelry brilliance.

During First Dynasty era, ancient Egyptians gain skilled in making jewelry from solid semiprecious stones and different metals such as gold and silver.

The art of goldsmithing reached its peak in the Middle Kingdom, when Egyptians mastered the technical methods and accuracy in making pieces of jewelry.

During the New Kingdom, goldsmithing flourished in an unprecedented way because of regular missions to the Eastern Desert and Nubia to extract metals.

These substances were processed and inlaid with all sorts of semiprecious stones found in Egypt; for example, gold, turquoise, agate, and silver. Artisans did not confine themselves to a limited selection of materials: a very wide variety.

Pearls from the Persian Gulf were a popular gemstone, these were combined with emerald and peridot from Egypt, and carnelian, jasper, lapis lazuli, and onyx from Persia.

Ancient Egyptian jewelry had a functional value. Ancient Egyptian made different types of belts, including waist belts and belts with hanging vertical straps ornamented with colored beads. Other types of jewelry included earrings, bracelets, anklets, rings, and necklaces.

A unique type of Egyptian jewelry that never appeared in other cultures was the vest, which was worn around the chest. It was usually made of gold or of gold-plated metal. Even when it was made of a cheap material, it was painted yellow to give a golden impression. Wearing a golden vest is still an existing folklore practice in the Egyptian countryside, though it has a different name, the Kirdan. Every village girl dreams of wearing a golden one to boast of.

In the history of jewelry Egypt contributed profoundly to influence other cultures.

Today Egyptian artisans and jewelry artist make beautiful imitations of ancient jewelry. Most of the Paharaonic style jewelry are silver and gold utilizing the Ankh symbol, cartouche and ancient Egyptian gods, kings and queens.

This a cartouche symbolizing my name. Click on it to make one with your own name