Did the Ancient Greeks and Romans Create Any Jewelry?

The Greeks were known for a lot of incredible things, but little is known of their jewelry. The first true examples we have of Ancient Greek Jewelry is pieces that utilize beads shaped in the form of various animals and shells. Around–00 B.C. they started to utilize gemstones and gold into their various jewelry designs. By the time 300 B.C. had rolled around, they had ventured into the area of colored jewelry that utilized amethysts, pearls, and emeralds. They made cameos from a striped down pink and cream agate known as the Indian Sardonyx. As was the case with most cultures, Greek jewelry designs started off simply, but as time progressed, they grew increasingly more elaborate and complex.

Jewelry was a bit of a luxury in the world of Ancient Greeks. It was not worn in the daily lives of people, but during special occasions or while on public appearances. A common gift of the time, it was often used to show off a lady’s beauty, social status, and incredible wealth. It was thought that jewelry had mystical powers, such as protection from the “Evil Eye”. The “Evil Eye” was a look that another person could send your way to bring you injury or bad luck…or so it was thought. Most of the Greek jewelry of this time period was made from silver and gold, with ivory and gemstones, clay and bronze thrown into the mix as well.

We have examples of two types of jewelry that the Ancient Greeks developed. They were made from (1) cast, and (2) hammering out sheet metal. We have only a few examples of their cast jewelry, but we do know the process that they followed. The process had been passed down since the Ancient Bronze Age, and involved joining moulds together with wax, and pouring molten metal into the center of the mould. We have many more examples of their “sheet metal” jewelry. This process meant hammering out sheet metal until it reached the desired thickness, then soldering the various pieces together to create jewelry.

The Ancient Romans were known for a number of things, but their jewelry is not one of them. They were very fond of brooches, an item which they utilized to to hold their clothing together. As the Roman Empire was vast and huge at the time, they took full advantage of it, importing various materials from the far-flung reaches under their control. In the early years they made a lot of their jewelry out of glass beads and pearls, but in later years they incorporated bone, bronze, and gold. Imported sapphires from Sri Lanka were also popular. They also used Indian diamonds, emeralds, and amber, as well as Sri Lankan sapphires.

The Ancient Romans followed the belief set by the Ancient Romans, and felt that jewelry could be used to ward off the “Evil Eye” (a wish from one’s enemies that could bring injury or other harm). Women often wore jewelry all over their bodies, while men often only wore a ring on one of their fingers. Some men used their own personal taste and wore a number of rings on a number of fingers.

Betsy Johnson has two great blogs: heart jewelry and open heart jewelry if you would like to learn more.

The ABC’s of Gold

Way before the American Dollar, the British Pound, or the Indian Rupee came on the scene there was another measure of wealth. Gold has been valued as a currency practically since it was found. It is still used today to denote one’s wealth. Rare and very heavy, it’s been used as a status symbol for kings and merchants alike. This is our guide into the world of gold, and we hope you enjoy this journey into the world of this precious metal.

Denoting itself as one of the worlds most valuable and precious metals, gold sets itself apart from the rest of the precious metals. It is so malleable and soft that just one mere ounce of it will produce a wire that can stretch 5 miles in length. If you would prefer to pound it rather than stretch it, you could create a sheet that will cover 100 square feet. Because it cannot corrode or rust it will last almost indefinitely.

Gold is all around us. It can be found in our rivers and seas, in the earth’s crust beneath our feet and in our plants as well. It is very expensive and difficult to extract, and this is why it is so pricey. It takes about 2.5 to 3 tons of gold ore to produce a mere ounce of pure gold…what a percentage!

Here’s a trivia question for you. Do you happen to know what popular metal is most often found in today’s jewelry? Any guesses? You got it…first try…it is gold! It is used in our heart jewelry, fine jewelry, cool jewelry, you name it. Most of this gold goes into one type of jewelry though…the wedding band. Since it is so soft and malleable, it is often not found by itself, but in combination with other metals. It is this combination that makes it durable and strong and ensures that it will not be bent so easily. Do you happen to know what a combination of two or more metals is? It’s an alloy. Most of the gold that is used in our jewelry is an alloy.

What are these types of jewelry you ask? How about: (1) Gold jewelry, (2) White gold jewelry, (3) Gold plated jewelry, (4) Gold charm jewelry, (5) Rose gold jewelry, (6) Wholesale gold jewelry, (7) Gold body jewelry, (8) 24k gold jewelry, (9) 22k gold jewelry, (10) 18k gold jewelry, (11) 14k gold jewelry, (12) Indian gold jewelry, (13) Gold horse jewelry, (14) Plus other fine gold jewelry items.

You have probably heard of the word karat when referring to gold. What exactly is it? The word karat is derived from the word for the fruit of the carob tree. Some examples are the Arabic word qirat, the Greek word keration, and the Italian word carato. This is because the seeds of the carob tree were used in ancient times for measuring the size of precious gems. The pure gold Byzantine coin called the solidus weighed in at 24 karats, so the 24 karat mark (i.e.: 24KT or 24K) became the mark used to indicate that the item was made of pure gold.

Did you enjoy this little journey into the world of gold? We hope so. If you would like to learn more we would love to have you visit our blog. We will go into more details on this subject, heart jewelry, and just jewelry in general. Welcome…

Betsy Johnson has some great deals for you at: open heart jewelry and heart jewelry. Check them out!