Fashion amongst the ancient Egyptians tended to be straightforward, practical and uniformly unisex. Egyptian society viewed men and women as equals. Hence, both sexes for the majority of Egypt’s population wore similar styled clothes. In Egypt’s Old Kingdom (c. 2613-2181 BCE) upper-class women tended to adopt flowing dresses, which effectively concealed their breasts. However, lower […]

Ancient Egyptian Jewellery The earliest evidence of jewellery making in ancient Egypt dates to 4000 BC. Today, ancient Egyptian jewellery has gifted us with some of the rarest and most sublime examples of ancient craftsmanship discovered to date. Both men and women in ancient Egypt proved themselves to be great admirers of jewellery. They adorned themselves with […]

Emerald was Queen Cleopatra‘s favourite gemstone. She had her jewellers carve emeralds in her likeness, which she gave as gifts to foreign dignities. Emeralds were mined locally in ancient times close to the Red Sea. Egypt monopolized the trade in emeralds until the 16th century and the discovery of Central and South America. Ancient Egyptians equated […]

Gold and jewellery making played an important part in Egyptian culture, with the Egyptian era essentially dominated by gold. The enduring image of the Tutankhamun’s Death mask quantifies that superbly (above). The impact of such a bold use of metal makes the mask memorable, and solidifies the wide association with gold and metals, which is […]

The Egyptians used glass extensively in their jewellery. It was used to create a plethora of different coloured beads which were then strung together, sometimes with gold, to make fabulous collars, necklaces, rings and earrings. Glass was also used in intricate cloisonné work which is evident in many of the more important pieces of Egyptian […]

Wig decorations, like this New Kingdom example in gold, glass, and gems, were used by well-to-do women. The ancient Egyptians often shaved their heads for sanitary reasons but wore elaborate wigs when called for in celebrations or religious ceremonies. Finger Coverings The Egyptians were famous for mummifying the deceased, and even the dead had their own jewelry. […]

Ever wondered when and how jewelry first came into existence? Or how jewelry has changed over the years? In this new series on our blog, we’ll be exploring the history of jewelry and its development throughout time. The history of jewelry dates back to prehistoric times when early humans wore shell, bone, wood, pebbles, animal […]