Egyptian Jewelry - Roots, Meanings and Modern Usage

Jewelry plays an extremely important part in the way people (especially women) create and choose their outfits. The physical appearance is fundamental in the society we live in; just think about the first impression and its importance for human interactions. Looking good is a matter of effective outfit management, and, in this context, jewelry is the salt and pepper of every outfit and of our every public appearance. There are many styles of jewelry, each with its own charm, but Egyptian jewelry is among the most popular and fascinating types of accessories.

Egyptian Jewellery For Kids and Adults

Basically, Egyptian jewelry is a modern times adaptation of what people living in Ancient Egypt used to wear. The beauty of Egyptian pharaohs, as well as the pieces of jewelry they wore is known all around the world. In fact, at its origins, Egyptian jewelry was highly linked to religion and to the Egyptian deities. Jewelry was very important for both the living and the dead (to be more precise, they were important for the present, as well as for the future of a person. There were even special pieces of Egyptian jewelry to be worn in the eternal life). 

The symbolism attached to Egyptian jewelry was very strong: different categories of people wore specific pieces of jewelry, and every important moment in a person’s life had its associated Egyptian jewelry sets. But, even though there were a lot of major differences between what a pharaoh wore and what a regular person wore, in terms of jewelry, the fact is that Egyptian jewelry was common to both suzerains and their followers.

Even though the times of pharaohs are long gone, copycats of their beautiful and meaningful accessories are to be found all around the world. Either expensive, branded jewelry pieces made from heavy gold or cheap artisan pieces made of copper, the Egyptian jewelry pieces seem to be constantly in trend. These accessories don’t have the same symbolic charging as they used to have in ancient times, but the way they look on the outside is, generally speaking, the same.    

If we were to point out a particular note of Egyptian jewelry, this would certainly be the extensive use of gems and incrustations. From joyfully and vividly colored gems to the black onyx, they were all used in the manufacturing of religious accessories in Ancient Egypt.

Egyptian Silver Jewelry

One of the most famous and popular motifs of Egyptian jewelry is the scarab. Its extensive use in Ancient Egypt is connected with the fact that the scarab beetle (and its subspecies, the dung beetle) was considered a sort of totem, and the wearing of scarab shaped pieces of jewelry worked as a protective charm. Everybody wore such a piece of jewelry, incrusted with scarab motifs, either as a pendent or as any other accessorizing element (bracelets or rings, for example). These Egyptian jewelries that are designed with scarab shaped incrustations are simply called scarabs, so, if you do a quick internet search, various accessories (pendants, bracelets, necklaces, rings and so on) will pop up under this tag.

Another starlet in the Egyptian jewelry category is the cartouche. The cartouche, in present days, is a pendant which has incrusted, on the vertical, the Egyptian letters that form the owner’s name, one under the other. It looks like a rectangular geometrical figure and it is usually made of gold. In the ancient times, this particular piece of jewelry was meant to help people keep their identity after dying (that is, it helped them remember their own name in the after-life). It wasn’t as wide spread through Ancient Egypt such as the scarab; it was, in fact, especially used by pharaohs and high ranked Egyptian aristocrats.

As we all know already, you can’t wear any piece of jewelry with any dress or general outfit. There has to be a certain match between the styles of the two, so that the person who wears them looks flawless. For example, you wouldn’t want to wear a vividly colored scarab pendant and a fancy evening dress. The colored scarabs, with a multitude of different gems, are more suited for a light, casual outfit (a sort of ‘hippie’ look, so to speak), but if you go for the more sober accessories made of gold and decorated with onyx, for example, you can easily wear them along with office or evening outfits (either a sensual, black dress or more ‘corporate’ outfits, with pants and jackets.)

The beauty and the mystery brought by this jewelry make them very fashionable nowadays. As there is no clear recipe on how to wear such accessories, you simply have to adjust their wearing to your own style and clothing habits and you’ll surely be the most  charming presence in the room!

Gold Egyptian jewelry

By shopping around you can see how many products are available and you will also discover that there are many offers also available. It's important when you go shopping I find something that has a personal touch and offers quality as well as something that stands out and you particularly like. You will discover that there is a lot of emphasis on Egyptian gold and silver. Ensure that you take your time to check the price of your portion of this as a gift make sure to check shipping with the company you are purchasing it from especially if you are doing this online and on the customer feedback that they may have. 18k gold is always popular and only the other day I came across some beautiful earrings that I could see from the feedback that many people have purchased as gifts. It's always important to read the various feedback to ensure that you buy genuine Egyptian objects.