Roman jewelry

Last updated December 22, 2023

Ancient Roman jewelry was characterized by an interest in colored gemstones and glass, in contrast with their Greek predecessors who focused primarily on the production of high-quality metalwork by practiced artisans.^[1] Extensive control of Mediterranean territories provided an abundance of natural resources to utilize in jewelry making. Participation in trade allowed access to both semi-precious and precious stones that traveled down the Persian Silk Road from the East.^[2]

Various types of jewelry were worn by different genders and social classes in Rome, and were used both for aesthetic purposes and to communicate social messages of status and wealth. Throughout the history of the Roman Empire, jewelry style and materials were influenced by Greek, Egyptian, and Etruscan jewelry.^[3]

Materials and style

While much emphasis is placed on fine gold and silver pieces of antiquated jewelry, many pieces worn by lower social classes in Rome would have been made out of bronze or other less expensive metals. Gold and silver pieces would have been worn by the wealthy. Unlike ancient Greek jewelers, Roman manufacturers would have dealt primarily with mass-produced pieces created using molds and casting techniques.^[4] This allowed more people to afford such accessories.

Examples of jewelry worn by the higher social classes include solid gold necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, and bulla with many variations within these classes of jewelry. Some bracelets were used without clasps (solid gold snake bracelets), while others used gold pins or small gold screws to fasten the bracelet to the wrist.^[5]^[6]

Roman aesthetic values led to the increased use of precious and semi-precious gemstones as well as colored glass in jewelry. Semi-precious stones such as garnet, emeralds, jasper, and lapis were imported from Egypt while onyx, amber, and moonstone came to Rome from the Persian Gulf.^[2] Ostentatious and creative use of color was valued over fine metalwork. Glass makers were supposedly so skilled that they could fool the public into thinking that glass beads and ornaments were actually gemstones.^[7] When genuine gems were utilized, the stones preferred by Roman women were amethyst, emerald, and pearl.^[8] Pearls were rare and expensive and were used in Roman jewelry up until the end of the Republic. Clusters of large pearl beads were used to make earrings called crotalia (rattles).^[9]

Social implications

The focus on showiness and imitation of fine materials demonstrates the fact that Romans were highly conscious of how they presented themselves in public.^[1] While living, Roman men and women frequently used ornamentation of their houses and bodies to demonstrate wealth, power, influence, and knowledge.This representation changed over time, as noblewomen of the Republic's ornamentum symbolized familial status, while an Imperial noblewomen's ornamentation represented person achievement and status.^[9] Elites such as bureaucrats and senators wore gold rings featuring large flashy gemstones to signal status while plebeians wore iron rings except in circumstances where a gold one has been awarded.^[2]

Gender

As with many societies, ancient Roman accessorizing varied along boundaries of gender and age, in addition to social standing. The elite women of Roman society were expected to wear an abundant amount extravagant and expensive gold jewelry to show their familial status.^[9]

Women

Roman women collected and wore more jewelry than men. Women usually had pierced ears, in which they would wear one set of earrings. Additionally, they would adorn themselves with necklaces, bracelets, rings, and fibulae . One choker-style necklace, two bracelets, and multiple rings would be worn at once. Jewelry was particularly important to women because it was considered to be their own property, which could be kept independently of their husband's wealth and used as the women saw fit. They had the right to buy, sell, bequeath, or barter their own jewelry.^[8] Women in Ancient Rome were valued on their elegance in dress and adornment with extravagant jewelry. The way an elite woman accessorized and presented herself in public reflected the rank of her husband.^[9]

Men

Typically Roman men wore less jewelry than their female counterparts. Finger rings and fibulae were the most common forms of jewelry worn by men, but they would also sometimes wear pendants. Roman men, unlike Greek men, wore multiple rings at once.^[8] Golden rings were reserved for men of senatorial rank.^[10]

Children

Roman children's jewelry served special purposes, especially in the form of amulets. These were worn draped around the neck, and had specialized purposes to protect the children from illness and misfortune.^[8] For example, a phallic fascinus was commonly placed on or near a young boy to ward off the evil forces.Young elite boys wore these golden amulets referred to as bullae until they reached adulthood.^[9]Bullae were first created in Greece and became popularized in Rome over the course of the 3rd and 4th centuries BC.^[10]

Beyond accessories

Collections of jewelry represented great wealth and power to the Roman owners. The use of this jewelry was not limited to simply wearing it, but also extended to spiritual purposes. Hoards of gold, silver, and bronze jewelry have been found at Greek and Roman temples, providing evidence that worshipers would have offered some of their jewelry to the god or goddess of the temple, much as they would have offered other objects.^[8] Inspired after the sack of Greek cities Tarentum, Syracuse, and Capua, it became increasingly popular for Romans to use gold wreaths or diadems in funerary practices for both men and women. These wreaths were made of delicate golden leaves and florals.^[10]

Related Research Articles

Jewellery consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a western perspective, the term is restricted to durable ornaments, excluding flowers for example. For many centuries metal such as gold often combined with gemstones, has been the normal material for jewellery, but other materials such as glass, shells and other plant materials may be used.

A tiara is a jeweled head ornament. Its origins date back to ancient Iran, which was then adapted by Greco-Romans. In the late 18th century, the tiara came into fashion in Europe as a prestigious piece of jewelry to be worn by women at formal occasions. The basic shape of the modern tiara is a (semi-)circle, usually made of silver, gold or platinum, and richly decorated with precious stones, pearls or cameos.

A necklace is an article of jewellery that is worn around the neck. Necklaces may have been one of the earliest types of adornment worn by humans. They often serve ceremonial, religious, magical, or funerary purposes and are also used as symbols of wealth and status, given that they are commonly made of precious metals and stones.

An earring is a piece of jewelry attached to the ear via a piercing in the earlobe or another external part of the ear, or, less often, by some other means. Earrings have been worn by people in different civilizations and historic periods, often with cultural significance.

A brooch is a decorative jewelry item designed to be attached to garments, often to fasten them together. It is usually made of metal, often silver or gold or some other material. Brooches are frequently decorated with enamel or with gemstones and may be solely for ornament or serve a practical function as a clothes fastener. The earliest known brooches are from the Bronze Age. As fashions in brooches changed rather quickly, they are important chronological indicators. In archaeology, ancient European brooches are usually referred to by the Latin term fibula.

Cufflinks are items of jewelry that are used to secure the cuffs of dress shirts. Cufflinks can be manufactured from a variety of different materials, such as glass, stone, leather, metal, precious metal or combinations of these. Securing of the cufflinks is usually achieved via toggles or reverses based on the design of the front section, which can be folded into position. There are also variants with chains or a rigid, bent rear section. The front sections of the cufflinks can be decorated with gemstones, inlays, inset material or enamel and designed in two or three-dimensional forms.

A ring is a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry. The term "ring" by itself always denotes jewellery worn on the finger; when worn as an ornament elsewhere, the body part is specified within the term, e.g., earrings, neck rings, arm rings, and toe rings. Rings always fit snugly around or in the part of the body they ornament, so bands worn loosely, like a bracelet, are not rings. Rings may be made of almost any hard material: wood, bone, stone, metal, glass, gemstone or plastic. They may be set with gemstones or with other types of stone or glass.

Jewelry of the Etruscan civilization existed in several eras.

The preservation of fabric fibers and leathers allows for insights into the attire of ancient societies. The clothing used in the ancient world reflects the technologies that these peoples mastered. In many cultures, clothing indicated the social status of various members of society.

Wire wrapping is one of the oldest techniques for making handmade jewelry. This technique is done with jewelry wire and findings similar to wire to make components. Wire components are then connected to one another using mechanical techniques with no soldering or heating of the wire. Frequently, in this approach, a wire is bent into a loop or other decorative shape and then the wire is wrapped around itself to finish the wire component. This makes the loop or decorative shape permanent. The technique of wrapping wire around itself gives this craft its name of wire wrapping.

A plug, in the context of body modification, is a short, cylindrical piece of jewelry commonly worn in larger-gauge body piercings. Modern western plugs are also called flesh tunnels. Because of their size—which is often substantially thicker than a standard metal earring—plugs can be made out of almost any material. Acrylic glass, metal, wood, bone, stone, horn, glass, silicone or porcelain are all potential plug materials.

Clothing in ancient Greece refers to clothing starting from the Aegean bronze age to the Hellenistic period. Clothing in ancient Greece included a wide variety of styles but primarily consisted of the chiton, peplos, himation, and chlamys. Ancient Greek civilians typically wore two pieces of clothing draped about the body: an undergarment and a cloak. The people of ancient Greece had many factors that determined what they wore and when they wore it.

Native American jewelry refers to items of personal adornment, whether for personal use, sale or as art; examples of which include necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings and pins, as well as ketohs, wampum, and labrets, made by one of the Indigenous peoples of the United States. Native American jewelry normally reflects the cultural diversity and history of its makers, but tribal groups have often borrowed and copied designs and methods from other, neighboring tribes or nations with which they had trade, and this practice continues today. Native American tribes continue to develop distinct aesthetics rooted in their personal artistic visions and cultural traditions. Artists may create jewelry for adornment, ceremonies, and display, or for sale or trade. Lois Sherr Dubin writes, "[i]n the absence of written languages, adornment became an important element of Indian communication, conveying many levels of information." Later, jewelry and personal adornment "...signaled resistance to assimilation. It remains a major statement of tribal and individual identity."

Ancient Egyptian clothes refers to clothing worn in ancient Egypt from the end of the Neolithic period to the collapse of the Ptolemaic Kingdom with the death of Cleopatra in 30 BC. Egyptian clothing was filled with a variety of colors. Adorned with precious gems and jewels, the fashions of the ancient Egyptians were made for not only beauty but also comfort. Egyptian fashion was created to keep cool while in the hot desert.

The Middle Ages was a period that spanned approximately 1000 years and is normally restricted to Europe and the Byzantine Empire. The material remains we have from that time, including jewelry, can vary greatly depending on the place and time of their creation, especially as Christianity discouraged the burial of jewellery as grave goods, except for royalty and important clerics, who were often buried in their best clothes and wearing jewels. The main material used for jewellery design in antiquity and leading into the Middle Ages was gold. Many different techniques were used to create working surfaces and add decoration to those surfaces to produce the jewellery, including soldering, plating and gilding, repoussé, chasing, inlay, enamelling, filigree and granulation, stamping, striking and casting. Major stylistic phases include barbarian, Byzantine, Carolingian and Ottonian, Viking, and the Late Middle Ages, when Western European styles became relatively similar.

Mughal clothing refers to clothing adhered by the Mughals in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries throughout the extent of their empire. Much of them were already being used in the past centuries before their arrival in Indian subcontinent. It was characterized by luxurious styles and was made with muslin, silk, velvet and brocade. Elaborate patterns including dots, checks, and waves were used with colors from various dyes including cochineal, sulfate of iron, sulfate of copper and sulfate of antimony were used.

Victorian jewellery originated in England. Victorian jewellery was produced during the reign of Queen Victoria, whose reign lasted from 1837 to 1901. Queen Victoria was an influential figure who established the different trends in Victorian jewellery. The amount of jewellery acquired throughout the Victorian era established a person’s identity and status. Within the Victorian period, jewellery consisted of a diverse variety of styles and fashions. These periods can be categorised into three distinct timeframes: The Romantic period, the Grand period and the Aesthetic period.

Diana, Princess of Wales, owned a collection of jewels both as a member of the British royal family and as a private individual. These were separate from the coronation and state regalia of the crown jewels. Most of her jewels were either presents from foreign royalty, on loan from Queen Elizabeth II, wedding presents, purchased by Diana herself, or heirlooms belonging to the Spencer family.

Hanfu accessories refers to the various form of fashion accessories and self-adornments used and worn with hanfu throughout Chinese history. Hanfu consists of many forms of miscellaneous accessories, such as jewelries, yaopei, ribbons, shawls, scarves, and hand-held accessories, etc.

The Castellani were a family of goldsmiths, collectors, antique dealers and potters who created a business "empire" active in Rome during the 18th and 19th centuries.

References

1 2 Richter, Gisela M. A. (1921). "Classical Accessions: II. Jewelry". The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin. 16 (3): 55–60. doi:10.2307/3254888. JSTOR 3254888.
1 2 3 "Jewelry of the Roman Empire". Museum of Jewelry. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
↑ "A Brief Introduction to Ancient Roman Jewelry". Historyplex. 2010-05-03. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
↑ Liu, Robert K. (1979). "Ancient jewelry molds". Ornament.
↑ "The Good Life: Collecting Late Antique Art at The Met". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
↑ Studia Varia from the J. Paul Getty Museum: Volume 1 (Occasional Papers on Antiquities Book 8). Getty Publications. June 1993. pp. 114–115. ISBN 0-89236-203-0. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
↑ Richter, Gisela M.A. (1914). "Department of Classical Art Accessions of 1913: Jewelry and Glass". The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin. 9 (12): 257–259. doi:10.2307/3253734. JSTOR 3253734.
1 2 3 4 5 Gagarin, Michael (2010). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome. Oxford University Press.
1 2 3 4 5 Kunst, Christiane (2005). "Ornamenta Uxoria. Badges of Rank or Jewellery of Roman Wives?". The Medieval History Journal. 8 (1): 127–142. doi:10.1177/097194580400800107. ISSN 0971-9458. S2CID 162237737 – via Database.
1 2 3 Coarelli, Filippo (1970). Greek and Roman Jewelry. Feltham: Hamlyn Feltham. pp. 80–157. ISBN 0600012476.

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[:0-1] 1 2 Richter, Gisela M. A. (1921). "Classical Accessions: II. Jewelry". The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin. 16 (3): 55–60. doi:10.2307/3254888. JSTOR 3254888.

[:05-2] 1 2 3 "Jewelry of the Roman Empire". Museum of Jewelry. Retrieved 2022-04-21.

[3] "A Brief Introduction to Ancient Roman Jewelry". Historyplex. 2010-05-03. Retrieved 2021-11-08.

[4] Liu, Robert K. (1979). "Ancient jewelry molds". Ornament.

[RomanMedallionBracelet-5] "The Good Life: Collecting Late Antique Art at The Met". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 17 May 2023.

[StudiaVaria-6] Studia Varia from the J. Paul Getty Museum: Volume 1 (Occasional Papers on Antiquities Book 8). Getty Publications. June 1993. pp. 114–115. ISBN 0-89236-203-0. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.

[7] Richter, Gisela M.A. (1914). "Department of Classical Art Accessions of 1913: Jewelry and Glass". The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin. 9 (12): 257–259. doi:10.2307/3253734. JSTOR 3253734.

[:1-8] 1 2 3 4 5 Gagarin, Michael (2010). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome. Oxford University Press.

[:13-9] 1 2 3 4 5 Kunst, Christiane (2005). "Ornamenta Uxoria. Badges of Rank or Jewellery of Roman Wives?". The Medieval History Journal. 8 (1): 127–142. doi:10.1177/097194580400800107. ISSN 0971-9458. S2CID 162237737 – via Database.

[:2-10] 1 2 3 Coarelli, Filippo (1970). Greek and Roman Jewelry. Feltham: Hamlyn Feltham. pp. 80–157. ISBN 0600012476.

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