Antique Greek jewellery

Greeks are believed to be the most civilized persons, evidences shows that they were the richest person of those times. They were fond of decorating their bodies, with a variety of clothes and jewellery. Based on the researches and studies conducted, it is clear that around 1,400 BC, The Greeks started using the jewellery made from gold and gems that were beautifully designed and created by the skilled artisans. In past times, they were widely using the beads shaped as shells and animals products. With the advancement in civilization the trend of jewellery also developed. By 300 BC, they mastered in making the jewellery by using the colored stones and gems like amethysts, pearl and emeralds.

However, Greek jewellery was quite simpler than the jewellery used by other cultures. This jewellery consists of simpler designs and workmanship. However, as time progressed, the designs grew in intricacy with the utilization of different materials. Some antique jewellery collection has the samples like:

· Gold earring from Mycenae, 16th century BC

· First signs of cameos that Greeks created from Indian Sardonyx, a striped brown pink and cream agate stone

· Pendant with naked woman, made from electrum, Rhodes of around 630-620 BC.

Like other cultures, Greeks use their jewellery to display their status and membership. They wore it on special occasions and were mostly for public appearances. It was mainly worn by women to show their wealth, social status and personal body decoration and was commonly specified as a gift. They are used some of the jewellery based on religious belief, to give the protection against the evils and enemies. There were also superstitious thoughts that wearing the special stones endowed the owner with supernatural powers, while others had a religious symbolism. Older pieces of jewellery that have been found were dedicated to the Gods.

Further studies reveal that during these times Northern Greece and Macedon is the largest consumers and producers of jewellery. However, most of the jewellery created during the Greek times was made of gold, silver and bronze with ivory and gemstones. As the fossil samples, some pieces of cast jewellery have been recovered, that might made by casting the metal onto two stone or clay moulds. It was concluded that, they worked two styles of pieces; cast pieces and hammered pieces, out of sheet metal. The two halves were then joined, waxed and then mould by keeping the molten metal in the centre of these halves. However, this system had been practiced since the late Bronze Age.

The common form of jewellery was the hammered sheet type made from the metal sheet after hammering it to thickness and then soldered together. Some other techniques were also in use, such as using a stamp or impression that was used to create pattern and ornamentations on the jewellery. Stones and Jewels may then be added to vacant or unoccupied spaced or glass poured into extraordinary cavities on the surface. Some variations were observed in the Greek designs during 27 BC, were greatly influenced by the Roman culture. Numerous colorful butterfly pendants on silver foxtail chains have been found as the rare samples.