Egyptian jewellery:
As Egypt is the cradle of civilization, no doubt that
it is also the cradle of the arts and the home of craftsmanship. Personal
ornaments appear to have been among the very first objects on which the
invention and ingenuity of man were exercised. In the beginning, natural
objects, such as small shells, dried berries, small perforated stones, feathers
of variegated colors, were combined by stringing or tying together to ornament
the head, neck, arms and legs, the fingers, and even the toes.
The
earliest examples of Egyptian jewellery which have come down to us are those of
the Pre dynastic period (more than 3000 years B.C.), where the Egyptians had
been making beads and ornaments of semi precious stones such as amethyst, lapis
lazuli, cornelian, Quartz, Garnet, Turquoise , and other objects. They also used
man made materials such as glazed objects and colored glass imitating semi
precious stones. Most of the materials used in making these beads were chosen
for their color symbolization or amulet significance especially the ones used in
making funerary jewellery, as they had a religious and magical significance in the
Egyptian ancient world by protecting the wearer from evil. Turquoise for example
was a symbol of fertility, good luck, and as protection from the evil eye.
So as it appears, ancient Egyptians wore various shapes and kinds of
jewellery, some of which are:
Bracelets and Bangles: these ornaments often
came in matching sets. Ancient Egyptians also used the same term for describing anklets.
Finger rings: its earliest form was as simple as rings made of stone. Later, rings were made of small strings of beads, gold-foil bands and
wires of copper or silver closed by twisting the ends together.
Amulets of semi-precious stones:
these were charms worn by the living or placed on a mummy
to ward off evil spirits or bring good luck.
Cartouches: These were
elliptical symbols encircling the inscribed birth and coronation names of the
king. They were usually worn as pendants.
Pectorals: These are large pieces
of jewellery, usually in the form of trapezoids, worn on the chest.
Necklaces:
These were widely used among wealthy people, and were usually made of precious
metals such as gold and silver, and decorated with colored glass beads and
semi-precious stones.
Earrings: Theses were worn by both men and women.
Crowns: These were reserved for royalty. They were made of gold or silver
and decorated with semi-precious stones.
Belts: These included waist belts
and belts with hanging vertical straps ornamented with colored beads. They were
usually found in tombs.
Vests: This kind of jewellery is only found in ancient
Egyptian jewellery. It 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.
Gold and silver Egyptian
jewellery:
The real start of Egyptian jewellery was when ancient Egyptians had access to
precious metals, for even in ancient times, Egypt was envied for its underground
treasures. At first they got these metals from the Eastern Desert and Nubia ,
later too as tribute and spoils of war from Syria and the north. Mining was
often carried out by convicts under military control. This was a dangerous
endeavor from which many of the laborers probably never returned.
Up until
the Middle Kingdom, silver was considered as valuable to the Egyptians as gold,
but after that time frame, Egyptians seem to have become fanatical over gold.
Egypt was richer in gold than any other country of the region. Statues,
furniture, vessels and jewellery, above all in the royal household and the
temples, were often created from these precious metals.
Jewellery working
techniques:
The Egyptians knew two kinds of bonding metals: welding and
soldering. As early as the Middle Kingdom little pieces of jewellery were welded
together. Soldering was known since the 4th dynasty at least. The work of
Egyptian gold and silversmiths also included Hammered work, engraved, incised
and chased work. The combinations of layers of gold plates, together with
colored stones were also present. Gold was also widely used in gilding other
less precious materials such as wood and stone. Cloisonné and filigree were
already known at that time. The cloisonné technique was used in pectorals and
pendants. It created outlines of figures and symbols with gold wires that were
then soldered to sheets of beaten gold and later inlaid with colored stones or
glass. Filigree, a delicate, lacelike ornamental work of gold or silver wire,
was mostly used in buckles and clasps of gold. Granulation was the technique of
creating various designs by soldering very tiny gold balls to the surface of
gold sheets. The stones used in the inlays were considered to have magical
properties based on their color.
Egyptian craftsmen:
The
standard of work of the Egyptian goldsmiths was high from the beginning of the
pharaonic age. Craftsmen in ancient Egypt were usually trained and skilled
laborers. They were often well-respected in the community and had a comfortable
lifestyle. Yet every craftsman's lifestyle and social standing depended on the
quality of his skills and experience. Most craftsmen worked in temple workshops
or palace workshops, for gold and silver jewellery were mostly reserved for the
use of the gods, the kings and, to a lesser extent, the rich and powerful. Very
few Egyptian commoners possessed any gold jewellery.
The art of
jewellery
making reached its peak in the Middle Kingdom, when Egyptians mastered the
technical methods and accuracy in making pieces of jewellery. During the New
Kingdom, this art flourished in an unprecedented way because of regular missions
to the Eastern Desert and Nubia to extract metals.
Famous discoveries:
It is to the tombs of ancient people that we must look for evidence of
the early existence of Egyptian jewellery. The jewellery of the ancient Egyptians
has been preserved for us in their tombs, sometimes in, and sometimes near the
sarcophagi which contained the embalmed bodies of the wearers. This is due to
the ancient Egyptian funerary beliefs that required that the mummified body
should be wearing the finest jewellery. A large number of such jewellery was found
on the mummies; for example, wreaths, crowns, or hair bands. On the head or wig,
they fixed different types of ornaments, such as small roses, golden bands, and
some simple bands of jewellery. There were also different types of belts,
including waist belts and belts with hanging vertical straps ornamented with
colored beads. Other types of jewellery included earrings, bracelets, anklets,
rings, and necklaces.
The earliest known example of Egyptian jewellery
goes back to the first dynasty. It is a set of four bracelets found in the tomb
of Zer at Abydos . By the Twelfth Dynasty the jewelers skill had attained
something as near perfection as is possible in an imperfect world. For technical
skill, delicacy of handling and for the love of nature which the design reveals
there is nothing more fascinating than the two coronets of Khnemit, representing
floral garlands used at festivals and including most of the flowers and fruits
grown in Egyptian gardens
One of the best known examples of the magnificence
of Egyptian jewellery is the jewellery of Tutankhamen's time (18 th dynasty). Its
treasures include gold filigree and granulated gold-work, and you hardly know
what, amid such splendors, to admire most. The gold mask of the adolescent king,
the headdress and collar inlaid with colored glass, or the smaller specimens of
the ancient jeweler's art including the pectoral ornaments inlaid background of
cloisonné. Tutankhamun's collection is the most complete royal treasure ever
discovered.
If we have to speak of the production of jewellery as a modern art industry, we should say that nowadays, the craftsman of the twentieth century
follows methods and traditions which his distant ancestors would recognize and
understand, as these techniques come down to us from very far days.
