My last post dealt with the styles and fabrics of Egyptian
clothing, so this time I have decided to focus on jewellery, examining the
gems, metals and styles the Egyptians found fashionable.
Gold was used extensively in Egyptian Jewellery. Mines in
the Eastern desert made the metal (relatively) cheap and accessible, and the
Pharaoh would organise mining missions personally. However, gold was often just
the setting for elaborate jewelled beads. Lapis Lazuli, which came from
Afghanistan, was particularly popular, as the colour blue was associated with
heaven and rebirth in Egyptian myth and lore. Red carnelian also appears to
have been common, and could also be mined in the Eastern desert. Some of our
earliest examples of Jewellery from around 3000 BCE also feature Turquoise,
which came from Sinai.
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| Lapis Lazuli, Turquoise and Carnelian Necklace from the British Museum |
One of the most common styles of necklace was the Wesekh collar, which sprung into popularity
in the eighteenth dynasty. This was a type of beaded necklace worn by both men
and women, formed of many layers small and cylindrical beads (I have attached a
section on how to make a collar at the end of this post). Amulets were the
other main form of necklace, and were designed to grant magical protection to
the wearer. These were actually worn by the dead more often than the living.
Lapis Lazuli or carnelian would be shaped into a divine symbol (for example the
djed pillar of Osiris, or the more
famous eye of Horus) to protect the body in the perilous journey through the
afterlife.
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| Wesekh Collar from the 11th Dynasty, at the British Museum |
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| Djed Pillar Amulet at the British Museum |
Tomb art also suggests the Egyptians wore earrings and arm
bands. The tomb of Nebamun depicts women wearing large, flat, disc earrings,
apparently made from pure gold. Bracelets and arm bands seem to have been tight
and decorated with blue beads. The Egyptians also wore finger rings, fashioned out of any of their favorite stones, and decorated with protective hieroglyphs or divine symbols.
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| Women in Collars, Earrings and Bracelets at the Tomb of Nebamun |
This post took a lot longer to write than intended (though I
won’t pretend procrastination didn’t play some part in that). Next time, I plan
to write about Egyptian hairstyles, both wigs and natural hair. For any further
reading on this topic I would highly recommend www.ancientegyptonline.com which
is both accurate, and fun to read.
-Rachael
Sources:
www.ancientegyptonline.com
Robins, G. 2008. The Art of Ancient Egypt. Cambridge, MA.
Harris, E.L. 1998. Ancient Egyptian Divination and Magic. Boston, MA and York Beach, ME.
Ogden, J. 1992. Ancient Jewellery. London.
Making a Wesekh collar:
1.
First, get a length of string or wire that will
fit comfortably around your collarbone, and meet at the top of your spine. Then
begin to add beads. Blues, yellows and reds are the most accurate colours, but feel free to experiment with whatever you think looks best for a more modern twist.
2.
Every two or three beads along, tie another
piece of short string or wire to your first piece. Continue doing this until
the entire thing is filled
3.
Put a few more beads on the short pieces of
string or wire, but don’t cover them completely as you will need enough room at
the end to tie a knot.
4.
If you stop here, you have made a normal Egyptian
necklace! However if you want to make a full collar, then begin to tie a new
length of string, slightly longer than your first, to the shorter pieces. Make
sure to check this will also meet on your back. Add beads as you go along, and
it should look something like this.
5.
Do this as often as you want, until you are
happy with number of layers in your collar. Then tie the ends together, and you
have the collar!
