J is for Jewellery



Jewellery was worn for many reasons in ancient Egypt, and used for different purposes.

- Some jewellery was made for religious reasons, for example gems carved in the shape of scarab beetles, symbolising rebirth.
Taken from here
- Both men and women would wear jewellery, as a projection of wealth and also as a protection from evil.

- Gold and bronze were the metals most used in ancient Egyptian jewellery.

- Soft gems were also used for jewellery in ancient Egyptian times. These included lapis lazuli, malachite, turquoise, quartz and jasper. Royalty was represented by the colour blue, which made lapis one of the most prized gemstones.

- The colour of jewellery was also important to the ancient Egyptians, as different colours meant different things. Green symbolised fertility, and red was worn by the dead.

- Some items of jewellery worn by ancient Egyptians were unique to them, such as the pectoral, an ornamental item found on many mummies.

- The deceased would be buried with all of their earthly possessions, but many ancient Egyptian tombs were targeted by tomb-robbers, leaving little behind.

Comments

  1. It's such a shame so many of the tombs were robbed because it's hard to tell what was common and what extraordinary because half of it is gone. Whenever I think scarab I always thing of those jewelled scarabs from The Mummy that break open and a real scarab attacks the holder :).
    Tasha
    Tasha's Thinkings - AtoZ (Vampires)
    FB3X - AtoZ (Erotic Drabbles)

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  2. Hi Laura .. good to meet you via Alex .. Jewellery through the ages has always shown us how the ancients lived .. and now we're able to research and evaluate more as the technology is constantly improving ... sadly with the world as it is - we're also losing much ...

    All the best and well done on that creative writing degree - must have been so interesting and challenging .. cheers Hilary

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  3. So if you saw someone walking around covered in red jewelry, time to panic?
    Be sure to stop by today, Laura!

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  4. They did like their scarab beetles

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  5. We all like our jewelry from Ancient Times to Now....

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  6. I've always found anything ancient interesting. You have a great theme for A-Z, Laura.
    It's amazing how a piece of jewellery resembling a scarab beetle should be prized, but then we do have jewellery resembling certain insects today. I like dragonflies.
    I found you on Alex's blog today.

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  7. I hate insects so much I could never handle the beetle jewelry LOL.

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  8. I like the cultural idea that jewelry can keep away evil. We see it all the time, and it's fascinating.

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  9. Have you seen the Tut (can't spell it all so I'll stop there) exhibit? It's amazing to see the jewelry in that. I think the scarab jewelry was ruined for me when I saw The Mummy movie. I'm more of a fan of dragonflies and butterflies like Fanny mentioned. And blue should definitely be the color of royalty. :)

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  10. I taught ancient Egypt to fifth graders. The abundance of cool and gross facts makes it the best history unit ever:)

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  11. Jewelry for religious reasons, tell that to the fashionistas of the world...lol
    Interesting that red was for the dead...wonder if it had to do with the blood color?

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  12. Awesome. I had no idea red was a color worn by the dead. There's so much symbolism in color, and while I've researched it to death, you smacked me with a few new details. Thanks for that!

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  13. Some of their jewels were stunning. I love those Usekh with hammered gold, especially the ones with the deep blue stone, which I can't remember the name of at the moment. Too much alphabet soup this month, I guess. :-)

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  14. Blue is my favorite color, so does that make me royalty?

    Another interesting and informative post!

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  15. I love jewelry and did not know the symbolism of the scarab. Thanks so much for sharing.!

    Mary Montague Sikes

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  16. I have always been fond of scarabs as they remind me of Junebugs and I love Junebugs. If I had a scarab, I'd wear it.

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  17. Egyptians had such interesting and beautiful jewelry. I didn't know scarab beetles symbolized rebirth. Now I get it! lol

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  18. HI, Laura,

    Jewelry certainly was important to the ancient Egyptians as well as all of us today. I personally love designing rings. I've had several of them come to life and it is very exciting to see the finished pieces.

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  19. I used to have a scarab beetle-shaped brooch, I have no idea what happened to it though!

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  20. So, jewelry isn't just for making you look pretty? :) Nice post. Checking you out on Alex's blog. Writer’s Mark

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  21. I love Egyptian jewelry. When I used to make it,I made a gorgeous upper-arm bracelet that was inspired by something Egyptian I saw in a museum. Unfortunately I don't have a light touch and wearing the bracelet was torture because it was so heavy....

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  22. I think ancient Egyptian jewelry is some of the most beautiful there is. I also adore Celtic jewelry as well. Thanks for an interesting post! Happy #atozchallenge2014

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  23. Hehe I definitely need to get myself more red jewelry ... ;) Great post! Stopping in from A-Z :) Good luck!
    http://bonniegwyn.blogspot.com/

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  24. Hello there. Jewellry was very popular in Biblical times too. The gold and silver were a lot purer than they are today. In fact, wealth was partially measured by one'd possessions of precious stones. Kings Solomon and Hezekiah had them in vast quantities. (2 Chronicles 32:27) Precious stones are also used in the Bible to symbolize heavenly or spiritual qualities. The glory of Jehovah God Himself is likened to the dazzling beauty of gemstones. (Revelation 4:1-3, 6, 9-11) Thanks for sharing. Enjoy the challenge!
    Entrepreneurial Goddess

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  25. Oh, I love lapis! Never knew what it meant to the Egyptians. Fascinating details:)

    WriterlySam
    Echoes of Olympus
    A to Z #TeamDamyanti

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  26. I didn't know jewelry was used as a protection from evil, or about the different colors having significance. That's pretty cool. I love learning new things. :)

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  27. I never knew colours were significant. So red jewellery was for the dead. Very interesting - thanks.
    Sophie
    Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles - A to Z Ghosts
    Fantasy Boys XXX - A to Z Drabblerotic

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  28. I never knew the scarab beetle represented rebirth- makes sense that it would be used in so many tombs.

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  29. My J was for jewelry too. It's to bad the people couldn't figure out that the tombs would be raided. That was a lot of temptation to leave behind.
    Nana Prah

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