It always amazes me to see historic jewelry in museums. I’ve just assumed items so valuable and fragile would not have survived the centuries, but then there they are, neatly lined up in the display cases. Once again proving that everything old is new again, there’s a lot of ancient jewelry that I’d wear today. Here are some of personal favorites!
Gorgeous Egyptian necklace from the Oriental Institute in Chicago. (Photo: Daydream Tourist)
Two well dressed ladies immortalized in their Fayum mummy portraits dating to Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt, approximately 300 BC – 200 AD, (Left) British Museum London, (right) Louvre, Paris. The Ancients knew jewelry!
Simple is best with this 3rd Century AD Roman Gold necklace with emerald and variscite beads (Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC)
Necklaces and earrings from the Greek and Roman “resort town” of Hierapolis in Turkey. (Photo: Daydream Tourist)
This pair of Greek Gold and Agate Earrings from approximately 1st century BC sold for $60,000 at auction in 2012. (Photo: Christie’s)
This set of necklaces were found on mummy of your girl, Myt, from Egypt who lived in approximately 2051–2030 B.C. The set includes a large Carnelian strand, a string of big gold beads and lots of complementary small beaded necklaces. Very stylish for a child! (Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC)
This Fayum mummy has my absolute favorite earrings. (Getty, Los Angeles)
Some of my favorite gold jewelry from the Mycenae grave collection at the Athens Archaeological Museum (Photo: Daydream Tourist)
These gold Roman earrings, circa 1st Century B.C./A.D., sold at Bonhams Auction House in 2006 for £480.
Filed under: History, Stuff Tagged: archaeology, art, art history, Egypt, fashion, Greece, history, jewelry, museums, Rome
