EGYPTIAN JEWELRY HISTORY

Egyptian Revival Jewelry and Design

Jewelry and decorative manufactured goods in Egyptian Revival style capitalized on public fascination resulting from the rediscovery of Egyptian monuments and artifacts in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Museum exhibitions, movies, and political events popularized Egyptian architectural designs throughout the world. This is the first book of its kind to focus on revival consumer goods inspired by the ancient culture, including jewelry. Over 400 color photographs and line drawings depict beautiful examples with symbols and images of Egyptian design. Bold colors of natural pigments created the pallets that modern manufacturers used. Images of sylized insects, hieroglyphics, sphinx, royal symbols, and geometric patterns are explored. The manufacturers are introduced with pertinent information that collectors will reference. A chronology of Egyptian history identifies the kingdoms and their relevant styles. This should be an important reference for designers, historians, and ornamental collectors alike. The values with the captions reflect the market today, and the glossary and index are useful for all.

The Lady of Ephesus, 1st century CE (Museum of Ephesus), Efes, Turkey

Artemis was the Greek goddess, the virginal huntress and twin of Apollo, who supplanted the Titan Selene as Goddess of the Moon. Of the Olympian goddesses who inherited aspects of the Great Goddess of Crete, Athene was more honored than Artemis at Athens. At Ephesus, a goddess whom the Greeks associated with Artemis was passionately venerated in an archaic, certainly pre-Hellenic cult image that was carved of wood, and kept decorated with jewelry. Robert Fleischer identified as decorations of the primitive xoanon the changeable features that since Minucius Felix and Jerome’s Christian attacks on pagan popular religion had been read as many breasts or "eggs"—denoting her fertility. Most similar to Near-Eastern and Egyptian deities, and least similar to Greek ones, her body and legs are enclosed within a tapering pillar-like term, from which her feet protrude. On the coins minted at Ephesus, the apparently many-breasted Goddess wears a mural crown (like a city’s walls), an attribute of Cybele (see polos). On the coins she rests either arm on a staff formed of entwined serpents or of a stack of ouroboroi, the eternal serpent with its tail in its mouth. As was Cybele, the goddess at Ephesus was served by hereditary hierodules called megabyzae, and by (korai).

Modern scholars are likely to be more concerned with origins of the Lady of Ephesus and her iconology than her adherents were at any point in time, and are also prone to creating a synthetic account of the Lady of Ephesus by drawing together documentation that ranges over more than a millennium in its origins, creating a falsified, unitary picture, as of an unchanging icon.[2]

The Lady of Ephesus, 1st century CE (Museum of Ephesus), Efes, TurkeyThe "eggs" of the Lady of Ephesus, it now appears, must be the iconographic descendents of the amber gourd-shaped drops, elliptical in cross-section and drilled for hanging, that were rediscovered in 1987-88; they remained in situ where the ancient wooden cult figure of the Lady of Ephesus had been caught by an eighth-century flood (see History below). This form of breast-jewelry, then, had already been developed by the Geometric Period. A hypothesis offered by Gerard Seiterle, that the objects in Classical representations represented bulls’ scrotal sacs[3] cannot be maintained (Fleischer, "Neues zur kleinasiatischen Kultstatue" Archaologischer Anzeiger 98 1983:81-93; Bammer 1990:153).

A votive inscription mentioned by Florence Mary Bennett,[4] which dates probably from about the third century BCE, associates Ephesian Artemis with Crete: "To the Healer of diseases, to Apollo, Giver of Light to mortals, Eutyches has set up in votive offering (a statue of) the Cretan Lady of Ephesus, the Light-Bearer."

The Greek habits of syncretism assimilated all foreign gods under some form of the Olympian pantheon familiar to them, and it is clear that at Ephesus, the identification that the Ionian settlers made of the "Lady of Ephesus" with Artemis was slender.

The Christians stood out from all contemporaries in their unique approach to gods that were not theirs. A Christian inscription at Ephesus[5] suggests why so little remains at the site:

Destroying the delusive image of the demon Artemis, Demeas has erected this symbol of Truth, the God that drives away idols, and the Cross of priests, deathless and victorious sign of Christ.

The assertion that the Ephesians thought their cult image had fallen from the sky, though it was a familiar origin-myth at other sites, is only known at Ephesus from an uncorroborated Christian source, Acts 19:35.

From Wiki

It is well known that the Egyptians loved their jewelry and accessories. Each piece held a meaning and had symbolism, which as a lover of symbolism, I respect. This necklace is my way of displaying Egyptian ‘bling’ with a modern twist and bringing my love of Egyptian mythology and history into the now. I am sure if pharaohs still were around, this piece would be a must for their mummification rituals.

So, what symbolism is in this piece? The pendant is a good place to start, it is made from Dichroic Glass and features a Wadjet (also known as the Eye or Horus or Ra) and was used as a symbol of protection, especially in the afterlife. Also depicted is an Ankh, the symbol of eternal life, and several other hieroglyphics.

The necklace is also full of symbolism, the Egyptians used a lot of Lapis in their jewelry as well as gold, carnelian, and brightly colored stones. The most important of these was Lapis, which they believed did just about everything. The necklace is made from Lapis, Carnelian, Garnet, Gold Aventuring, Swarovski Crystal, Gold Sheen Obsidian, Sunstone, Czech Crystal, and Citrine.

Finished off with a Silver Plated Pewter Hook Clasp and measures 18.5 inches long.

This nicely crafted bead features a depiction of the Egyptian Eye of Horus. The Eye of Horus has a very specific meaning. The eye is represented as a figure with 6 parts. These 6 parts correspond to the six senses – Touch, Taste, Hearing, Thought, Sight, Smell. The front depicts the eye as a whole, but the back separates the eye into the 6 parts. Cast of solid .925 sterling silver, it is a lovely addition to any bracelet or bead collection! The large hole allows this bead to slide easily onto your bracelet. This bead is unthreaded, stamped .925 and is compatible with major brand sterling silver 3mm Cable European Charm Bracelets. Total weight for this charm is 2.1 grams.