Ancient Egyptian Jewels & Accessories
Ezz Al-Turkey
Just like people today, jewelry was a popular way for ancient Egyptians to decorate their bodies. An accessory is a simple addition to make your overall look pop more, and since most Egyptian attire was lightweight and simple due to the hot, dry climate, jewelry served as both a means of protection from evil spirits and a display of riches and rank for the ancient Egyptians. There were several functions for jewelry in ancient Egypt. Apart from the human predilection for attractive things, jewelry held religious and magical importance in ancient Egypt since it offered protection against evil – sounds familiar?
Ancient Egyptians were proficient in crafting handcrafted silver and gold jewelry with solid semiprecious stones dating back to the First Dynasty. The Middle Kingdom is considered to be the pinnacle of Egyptian goldsmithing because that’s when the Egyptians perfected the precise techniques and technical aspects of crafting jewelry. Goldsmithing saw an unparalleled boom under the New Kingdom due to frequent expeditions to the Eastern Desert and Nubia to extract metals. These materials were treated and inlaid with a variety of semiprecious stones, including silver, agate, turquoise, gold, and others, that were found in Egypt.
Egyptians have a strong belief in the mystical value of jewelry. It was worn to protect their prosperity, fight off evil spirits, and bring good fortune. Supernatural forces and deities were linked to specific colors, patterns, and materials. The Pharaohs preferred to use glass and dye restoration over gemstones because the latter were difficult to cut. However, there is a collection of valuable stones from the Pharaonic period, including garnet, lapis lazuli, alabaster, rock crystal, and turquoise. Queen Cleopatra's favorite stone is emerald.
The Egyptians placed great importance on the color of jewelry and gemstones because they believed that specific hues brought good fortune and protection from evil. Because the color blue was associated with monarchy in many ancient cultures—including ancient Egypt—lapis lazuli is one of the most valuable gemstones.
Although protective amulets were frequently incorporated into Egyptian jewelry, they were also worn as separate items. These amulets were talismans or charms that were thought to bestow protection or grant the wearer strength. The amulets were carved in a variety of designs, featuring gods, animals, humans, and symbols. The amulets were also considered to be equally important guardians of the living and the dead. Since ancient Egyptians customarily wore remembrance jewelry, amulets were designed expressly for the afterlife.
This is just another example of how similar we are to our ancestors, and that while time and customs change, they’ll always resemble the past. So next time you put on a blue eye necklace to ward off the evil eye, remember ancient Egyptians had their very own accessories protecting them too!