Ancient Jewelry Making
According to a BBC news article published in 2004, mankind has been making jewelry for about 75,000 years. Indeed, Stone Age people shaped the earliest pieces from shell, bone and wood. However, the ability to forge and work metal that emerged in antiquity forever changed the way jewelry was made. Ancient jewelry making used a wealth of ingenious techniques to create beautiful jewelry from the materials available. Does this Spark an idea?
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Filigree
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Now considered a specialty skill, filigree work on jewelry was a fairly common practice in the ancient world. In this technique, jewelers would heat gold or silver ingots and thread them through holes to create thinner and thinner wires. They then wound these wires into curved, complex patterns that sometimes represented flowers or animals. Sometimes the maker would attach the pattern of wire to a metal background. Other times, it was left freestanding. Almost all ancient Greek and Etruscan metal jewelry boasted filigree work. However, while the Mesopotamians used the technique as early as 4,500 years ago, ancient Egyptians rarely incorporated it in their jewelry. Furthermore, while Mediterranean cultures preferred to work in gold, jewelers in India often shaped filigree pieces out of silver.
Enamel and Cloisonné
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Unlike filigree methods, enamel techniques were prevalent in ancient Egypt. Indeed, enamel jewelry enjoyed widespread popularity among many peoples, from the Celts of Europe to the nomads of the Asian steppes, to the ancient Chinese. One of the most common variations of enamel jewelry technique was called "cloisonné." Jewelers fashioned cloisonné pieces by creating open compartments out of metal wire and filling these compartments with tiny pieces of glass. Next, they fired the jewelry at 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. The glass would melt, creating an intricate design of vivid color.
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Lost Wax
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Although complicated, the lost wax procedure allowed ancient jewelery makers to sculpt small, detailed pieces. They started by carving the item's design in wax. Next, they covered the wax design with clay and baked the clay so that it would harden. However, a hole was made in the clay to let the hot wax out. The jeweler then poured molten metal into the impression in the clay to cast the jewelry.
Materials
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Ancient societies often preferred gold for their jewelry because it was rare, shiny, malleable and didn't tarnish. Because gold occurs naturally, it provided a ready material for jewelry making. Silver, on the other hand, does not occur naturally and readily tarnishes. Therefore, cultures that chose to use it for jewelry (like India and China) had to smelt it from a natural alloy and guild it to prevent discoloration. Electrum (an alloy forged of gold and silver) sometimes had even more value than gold. Jewelers also used valuable gems in their work. In the ancient world, garnets, rubies, pearls, emeralds, lapis lazuli, jade and turquoise dominated the jewelry scene. However, glass took the place of these precious stones in cheaper pieces.
Popular Items
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Although jewelry styles of various ancient cultures differed greatly, they followed some common themes. For instance, gold was often fashioned into bracelets, necklaces, rings and diadems, which were placed on top of headdresses or directly on the head. Both the living and dead wore diadems, and the triangular shape had the same brilliant crowning effect as the pediment did on a Greek temple. However, earrings reigned supreme in the ancient world when it came to popularity and were said to protect the wearer.
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