Jewelry Traditions in Ancient Egypt

Joel A. Bartsch has served the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) in different roles for more than 30 years. As the museum’s current CEO and president, Joel Bartsch oversees the exhibit “Ramses the Great and the Gold of Pharaohs” in the renovated Hall of Ancient Egypt.

Among the highlights of the exhibit is a display of excavated jewelry. Ancient Egyptian society is often described as stratified, but jewelry was present at every level. Items included amulets, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and even crowns. Common materials included ceramics, precious stones, and metals.

Turquoise and lapis lazuli, imported items, were available only in times of relative political stability. At other times, locally sourced materials, such as purple amethyst, were preferred. Glass also had a distinctive period of use. One well-known example is King Tut’s glass-inlaid mummy mask.

When high-status people died, they often were buried with a barrel-shaped, single-string carnelian-bead bracelet. By contrast, burial sites of common individuals often featured a simple bracelet of clay beads.