Jewelry and amulets of ancient Egypt

In ancient Egypt, jewelry was far more than ornament: it was amulets that protected in life and accompanied the dead in the afterlife. Each material and shape had a religious meaning.

Who and where #

Egyptian metalwork flourished for more than three thousand years. Tombs such as Tutankhamun's, discovered in 1922, preserved a treasure of gold jewelry set with colored stones.

Materials and techniques #

• Gold, associated with eternity and the divine.
• Lapis lazuli, imported from distant mines in present-day Afghanistan; turquoise from the Sinai peninsula; carnelian and amethyst.
• Faience and colored glass as substitutes for stones.
• Gold cells filled with inlay (cloisonné).

Traditional pieces and their meaning #

• Eye of Horus (udjat): a symbol of protection, health and restoration.
• Scarab: associated with rebirth, through the god Khepri and the rising sun.
• Ankh: a cross with a loop that represents life.
• Usekh collar: a wide semicircular beaded collar, a symbol of status.

The tradition today #

Egyptian motifs still inspire jewelry today, from scarabs to ankhs. It is worth remembering that they are religious symbols of a civilization with its own history, and using them with that respect.

See also #

• Gold
• Glass and crystal
• Symbols in traditional jewelry and their meaning