Wire-Wrapped

Roman Jewelry
Domina Tullia Saturnina, JdL, GdS
RomanaSum.com

3/14/17


INTRODUCTION 3

MATERIALS 4

TECHNIQUES & TOOLS 7

AMULETS 10

NECKLACES 12

CHARM BRACELET 14

HEMISPHERE BRACELET 15

EARRINGS 16
HOOP EARRINGS 16
DOMED EARRINGS 17
LOOP EARRINGS 18
DANGLING EARRINGS 19
CROTALIA 20

SUMMARY 21

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SOURCES 23

BOOKS 23
FOOTNOTES 23

2
Making Roman Jewelry

Introduction
This project was born when Their Majesties requested the Laurels
create “largesse kits” that would allow the recipient to make something
period. My Laurel, Eulalia Piebakere, passed that request to me. As a
result of this research, I put together kits of wire, beads, findings, and
instructions, including this paper.

Ancient jewelry covers a wide variety of aesthetics and styles. Although
most is beyond the reach of a basic artisan, a large subsection can be
authentically recreated in a modern living room. I have focused on finds
from 100 BCE -300 CE. There is no
doubt that jewelry was more ornate
and refined both before and
immediately after this period. The
Etruscans made stunning, miniature
wonders in granulation (right1), with
graceful curves and whimsical motifs.
The Greeks expressed religious
devotion and a dedication to harmony
through exquisite goldwork. Byzantine
pieces are highly complicated. By comparison, the Republic and early
Empirical Roman aesthetic – which relied heavily on colored stones and
pearls rather than skilled metal working - could be considered
pedestrian… even crude.2 However, the simplicity of design appeals to
me. It’s consistent with the social conservatism of the period, and
appropriate for my persona (50 BCE in Rome).

Although there are complicated contemporary Roman jewelry types (set
gems, carved gems, repousee, enamels, signet rings, chains, etc.), this
paper is limited to a discussion of designs that can be accomplished
without soldering, wire drawing, or other complex techniques. With
carefully chosen materials and a pair of pliers, the more basic artifacts
can be recreated by intrepid SCAdians with no previous jewelry
experience.

3
Rather than exactly replicating individual finds, I chose to analyze
trends. I wanted to understand the Roman aesthetic and be able to make
jewelry that would be congruent with their cultural style. To that end, I
have spent hours looking at books and museum websites. For each type
of jewelry, I will include a few pictures as examples, but those are
chosen from a massive collection of similar artifacts.

Note: When researching online, pains must be taken to vet all sources
carefully. Many pieces labeled “Roman” are a pastiche of antiquities
restrung, remounted, and rearranged with later elements. This was very
popular in the Victorian era, and can even be seen from otherwise
trustworthy sites like Christie’s auction house. A close examination of
clasps and findings can usually ferret out the truth.

Materials
When Pompey Magnus held his triumph in 61 BCE to celebrate his
victory over Mithridates, he paraded a great many precious jewels and
wonders made of them, including a portrait of Pompey himself made of
pearls. Pliny attributes this triumph with changing the Roman taste
from goldwork to jewelry featuring gemstones.3

Since the ancients had only observable characteristics (color and
hardness) to go by, they tended to clump different stones together by
name. For example, “smaragdus” was the term for the highly prized
emerald and everything that resembled it, including fluor spar, green
vitrified lava, chrysoprase, dioptase, and green jasper.4

Carnelian, pearls, and emerald were Roman favorites. Between extant

Roman jewelry pieces and Pliny’s writing, we also know they had opal,
chalcedony (and its variants, onyx, sardonyx, agate), sapphire, star
sapphire, ruby, garnet, amethyst, bloodstone, coral, amber, obsidian,
rock crystal (quartz), tiger eye, turquoise, tourmaline, topaz, malachite,
lapis lazuli, and an array of colors of jasper.5 Diamonds were used in
Rome6, but given the disparities between Pliny’s description and
scientific understanding7, I’m guessing that they were also confused
with other clear stones. Bone, ivory, shell, horn, and glass were also
used in jewelry.

4


Stones were cut into drums,
bicones, spheres, tubes, and
other carved shapes. Natural
crystalline structures were
sometimes drilled and mounted.
Basic faceting (left8) appeared in
the 1st century. In order to create
more convincing “straight from
the dig” Roman jewelry, I
purchased stones that are
handshaped. The slightly
irregular spheres are more
authentic looking than perfectly
round machined beads.



Some plebeian ornaments and charms were bronze and brass, but the
vast majority of jewelry was made in gold. Silver was used more for
tableware, but does show up in the occasional ring or bracelet. Iron was
used mostly for good luck charms. Iron’s other jewelry use was as a
wedding ring, particularly in the early Republic when marriage was
legally closer to ownership of a wife. The ring was less a profession of
affection, and more a warning to other men that this one was already
claimed. Betrothal rings evolved into gold as women achieved more
legal rights.

The Romans used gold in natural and refined alloys (combinations of
metals). Both coins and jewelry of my period run 90-99% pure (Ogden,
18-19).9 The price of gold puts true recreation out of reach, sadly. I am
using a combination of brass and hypoallergenic wire in a gold tone,
focusing on yellower wire that more closely matches the purity of the
gold of the ancient world. I did get lucky and find an 22 karat earring
base from Fire Mountain Gems that closely matched the Roman
aesthetic: I sprang for a set and that became the start of one of my pairs.

5


Modern gold is labeled by karats, which is a ratio of
purity out of 24 parts. The rest is made up of silver,
copper, iron, and other metals to decrease the cost and to
affect color and hardness. 12 karat gold is half gold
(12/24). 22 karat, which is 91.7% pure gold, is closest to
ancient Roman usage. 24 karat is so soft that it affects the
durability of an object - it can be bent easily. This is why
people used to bite coins to test for legitimacy.


Wire was made by cutting pounded sheets of gold into strips. The
ribbons were then hammered, rolled between flat surfaces, or drawn
through a drilled hole in a bead. Ogden maintains that draw plates were
developed at the end of the Roman period, when harder metal alloys
were being used, although Higgins (page 15)10 claims they were used in
the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Very fine wires would have been
formed by twisting them between the fingers. Wires from the Roman
times have been found as small as .2mm (Ogden, 47-51), which equals a
32 gauge wire in modern parlance. Note that gauge numbers go up as
the wire diameter decreases. 30ga is larger than 32ga. To give you a
sense of the sizes here, modern earring posts are usually 20-22 gauge.

Necklaces of valuable gems were usually strung on metal wire. Others
have been found with organic materials like flax, cotton, Egyptian reeds,
and sinew. Even animal hair – horse, elephant, giraffe, and cow - was
utilized (Ogden, 121-122). I will try to source some horsehair for future
projects.

6
Techniques & Tools

This sketch (Ogden, 75) shows a
few common Roman techniques,
including both soldering and
wrapping of wire, to secure
beads. Note the inconsistency in
the number of coil wraps. For
vertically strung beads, twists,
loops, or soldered bulbs on the
bottom kept the bead in place.

Clasps for necklaces were cast
hooks, or wire wrapped to form
hooks (Johns, 100).

Iron working11 and surgical tools12, and tweezers13 from ancient Rome.

Although there are plenty of extant Roman tools for woodworking,
ironworking, and medical use, I have not yet found evidence of pliers
small enough for jewelry making. High karat gold is much more
malleable than the brass wire I’m using. It’s possible that pliers weren’t
needed, and fingers or non-specific tools were enough. We know the

7
Romans had tweezers for cosmetic use, and Fjorlief InHaga14 reports
that she often uses them with a clamp for bending small wire.

This wood clamp15 is a recreation of the antler one found at the Viking
Hedeby site. Obviously it’s the wrong period, but gives an idea of how
the Romans might have used clamps to secure a work in progress.

Modernly, I used round nosed pliers, flat nosed pliers, and wire snips to
manipulate the wire.

8
First, bend the wire, using the round-nosed pliers (so the wire curves
instead of creasing), until you have a loop. Then, holding the loop firmly
with those pliers, use the flat-nosed pliers (for a precise grip) or your
fingers to wrap the wire 1-2 times around the neck just below the loop.
Clip off any excess wire and use the flat pliers to pinch the end close to
the neck, so there’s no pointy bit to snag. If your loop is irregular, put it
onto the round-nosed pliers to shape it.

Video instruction here:
http://www.firemountaingems.com/resources/videos/652t

I always use hypoallergenic or at least nickel-free
for anything touching the skin, like earwires,
when it’s intended for largesse. When using
modern findings, you may need to modify them a
little. Left, earwire as purchased. Right, after
using pliers to straighten the pre-made angles.
This more closely mimics ancient shapes.

Modern wire wrapping uses
techniques – like bending
the wire around the pliers to make a perfect circle,
or marking the pliers with a sharpie to ensure
identical lengths – that I have deliberately ignored.
Ancient Roman jewelry has a charming irregularity
that I wanted to maintain. On the right16, the
dangles on this obviously expensive cameo have 8,
7, and 10 wire wraps. Likewise, they weren’t

particularly careful about being precise in their
loop sizes. One thing that makes modern replicas stand out is the post-
industrial obsession with symmetry. I prefer a more organic, handmade
aesthetic, and find its products more convincing as a period item.

To make your own: In addition to the pliers and snips, you will
probably want to buy some earwires until you are comfortable
shaping them. JoAnn Fabrics, Craft Warehouse, Michael’s, and Rio
Grande & Fire Mountain Gems (the last two are online) are good
sources. Have fun with choosing beads, too!

9
Amulets
Superstition played a large role in Roman jewelry choices. Both children
and adults used phallic (left) and eye images to fend off invidia, the evil
eye.

Freeborn boys wore a bulla,17 a pouch containing protective charms
(often amethyst or amber18) including a phallus. The bulla itself was
leather, bronze, or gold, depending on status. The phalli were made of a
variety of materials such as bronze, gold, silver, gemstones, ivory,
amber, coral, green glass, marble and iron. With organic materials such
as bone, ivory or wood, there was a link with vitality, life and growth.19
Some stones are particularly associated with gods or goddesses. For
example, Jupiter is represented by milky chalcedony, Mars by
jasper, Ceres by green jasper, and Bacchus by amethyst, 20 which
protected against poison.

21
22 23

We don’t have any extant leather

bullae, but all the statuary
evidence is for large round discs.
This 2nd-3rd century bronze one
shows the construction: Two
circles joined around the outer
edge.
24

10
 I made two leather circles, precut
the holes with a knife, and sewed
them together with a period brass
needle and sinew. It contains a bone
phallus, amber (simulated by glass)

and amethyst.



Women and girls often wore a lunula, a crescent moon with points
facing down, for similar protective reasons.

25 26 27

I strung a purchased lunula28 (I love that that both have filigree with
twisted wires) on sinew29 with bamboo coral drum-shaped beads. I
found that most of the modern beads I had were drilled with holes that
were too small for sinew. Fortunately the coral worked, but I needed to
split the sinew and use a half-thickness “thread.” It still seems to be
sufficiently strong. By twisting the ends back into points every few
beads, I was able to construct the necklace below, on the left. In the
center is a lunula purchased from Etsy30, which sadly got held up by
customs. I have made a tiger-eye necklace to mount it once it arrives.

11
Necklaces

31
The original carnelian and quartz necklace (left) has been restrung on
what looks like modern tigertail. Unfortunately, museum sites rarely
mention the original stringing material, so I experimented with a variety
of gauges with my recreations. My carnelian and quartz imitation
(right), on 20ga wire, probably would have been too heavy for string or
sinew. It doesn’t suit the early Empire so much as the
later Byzantine aesthetic (below left32), but I am
choosing to trust Christie’s as a source, which claims it
belongs to the 1st-2nd century. I imagine some sour
dowager empress wearing this behemoth.

I love this carnelian necklace, with alternating drops and spheres.

33

My recreations on right: Garnets with 28ga wire and Vesuvianite

(idocrase) with 24ga wire.

12

Roman jewelry ranges from chunky quartz to this slim, delicate chain
with gold cornerless cube beads.34

The Met (far left35) has one
that’s all natural emerald
crystals. For this recreation,
I really wanted to use my
bag of tiny, low-quality
emerald beads. Sadly, only
28ga wire would fit through
them, which was too small to be practical, and not likely to be
historically accurate (left). Going to 24ga wire meant the necklace
would be durable enough to actually wear, and I had some aventurine
for a smaragdus (emerald) stand-in that worked with it. The hook
closure is 20ga.

13
Charm bracelet

Left: Original Right: My copy

“Roman gold and hard stone amuletic bracelet. Eastern Empire, circa
1st-3rd Century A.D. – “The gold bracelet in the form of a bangle, oval in
section, each end wound spirally along the hoop, with seven amulets or
beads, including an amber bead, a carnelian phallic pendant with gold
mount, a spherical banded onyx bead, a pointed agate pendant
suspended from a gold loop, an amber bead with drilled detail, a rock
crystal pendant with gold mount, and a hematite pendant.”36

Both have spiral coiled ends, and both have 7 stones. Mine has three
strung directly instead of four because I had three appropriate stones
that slid onto the wire but they both alternate pierced directly vs.
suspended. I couldn’t do the pretty gold end caps, so four are attached
with wire jump rings like the original center stone. I used hematite,
turquoise, onyx, rock crystal, agate, and tiger-eye, and gold-plated wire.

The bracelet is not in my collection, since it was made as a prize for the
Champion’s Choice completion in 2014. All other pieces were made for
this project.

14
Hemisphere Bracelet

37 38
Gold hemispheres, both standing
alone and as a base for a
dangling pendent, were very
popular during this period.39 The
paired hemisphere bracelet40
design was so popular that
multiple variations have been
found. This one is unique
because of its tiny seashells
between the globes. Sometimes
the domes were bunched
together like grapes, as in
earring #38.

I experimented with some shell earring wires and half-ball earring
posts, both gold-plated. By clipping off the ear posts and wiring
everything together, I attempted to duplicate the Pompeii bracelet. The
result inspired me to learn actual metalsmithing and soldering, and
make one with legitimate Roman techniques.

15
Earrings
Hoop Earrings

41 42

43 44 Mine:

These are simple loops of gold wire, with the ends bent to clasp each
other. Some are meant to come on and off, but frequently hoop earrings
were permanently installed in the ear, such as the emerald and pearl
example, #42. These adorned women who only owned one pair of
earrings: Young girls, middle class women, or the slave of a master who
chose to decorate them. Note that symmetry of stones was not all-
important – one is significantly larger than the other in the rock crystal
pair.

16
Domed Earrings

45

46 47 48

Last year, I found this 22kt down to just one dangling

finding at Fire Mountain Gems. It ornament (right).
was extremely pricey but worth
it to have one truly Roman pair
of earrings. When I first made
them, I added a pearl and two
carnelian beads (left). I was
thinking of the dangling earrings
below, which often have three
elements. After reviewing the
hemispheric collection above, I
decided to reduce the earrings

17
Loop Earrings

49 50 51

Note the difference in the top securing loops on the left agate pair.

To recreate the changing diameter wire used in these loop earrings
would require a rolling mill, forging, or both. Attaching a smaller wire to
the thicker one would require soldering. I have simulated this effect in
the carnelian pair by wrapping two different diameter wires together.

18
Dangling Earrings

For the dangling style of earring, the separate wire mounted elements
move independently. That is, the earring is a collection of distinct pieces,
not multiple beads stacked on a single wire. This style would not look
out of place in a modern jewelry store.

52 53 54 55

Below: I chose to mimic the funky #55 for its upright front piece. My
recreation substituted carnelians for the pearls, and a seed pearl for the
emerald. I also did a riff on #53, with an aventurine tube.

19
Crotalia

Crotalia (from the Greek word for rattle or castanets) are named for the
jingling noise they produce when worn. Earrings of this type, with two
or three pendants, were extremely popular with Roman ladies.
Numerous examples have been found at Pompeii and Herculaneum.

56 57

58

My recreation required a little creative thinking. My more authentic
findings – the straight bar – had three loops, so I figured I would
suspend a gold ball to mirror the attached gold ball in #53 However, the
gold balls in my stash have enormous holes, so I had to rig a wire sling
for them rather than the expected pinhead mounting. I am pleased with
the result from the front view. I also chose to do the extra curves in the
earwire. If you look closely at #57 you can see the back of the earwire
rises up. This security measure can be seen in #37 and #38 as well.
They look uncomfortable but I can attest they are not.

Also pictured: A pair of crotalia made with modern findings (the
curlicues are not quite right) and lapis. They are a nod to cost-effective
largesse.

20
Summary
My biggest surprise, once I sat down and looked at these with an
analytic eye, was how sloppy they are to a 21st century eye. Some of this
can be attributed to damage from two millennia, but sometimes it looks
like the artisan just whacked stuff together, even when they were using
cherished materials. Letting go of a post-industrial obsession with
precision made for more natural looking pieces and frankly took a lot of
the stress out of creating.

I did find that I was constantly checking back with my gallery of extant
pieces. At one point I was about to make some dangling earrings using
the seashell tops and a blue glass bead. Although the separate elements
are Roman (and ear wire, a shell, a glass bead) somehow when they
came together it was a different aesthetic. In a previous largesse project,
I made a number of hoop earrings. I am no longer satisfied with many of
them. Again – hoop, check. Shell, check. Carnelian, check. Three beads,
check. But the three flat beads (although I have seen similar beads used
before) on a perfect, machine-made wire just looks wrong.

59

As long as I stayed tied to the archeological record, though, I there was
still plenty of opportunity for creativity. I was thrilled by how many
Roman-looking components are out there, if you look for them. Some
are still too pricey to make practical largesse offerings, but others are
well within a modest budget.

I have assembled 5 boxes as largesse kits. Each one contains basic
instructions, artificial sinew, findings for crotalia, ball-headed pins,
carnelian, pearls, amethyst, aventurine, rock crystal, and 20, 22, and 24
gauge wires. Rather than a kit for a specific project, they are meant to be
a tasting, with enough supplies for someone to create a number of
pieces. I hope they inspire more SCAdians to make jewelry that’s
accurate to their period, whatever it may be.

21

In the future, I definitely want to learn soldering. Making chains is
fascinating – I’d love to do some of that. If finances allow it, I’d love to
make some gold sheet and do some repousse and chasing work. Maybe I
could even make my own wire, with changing diameter, for loop
earrings. Specific pieces I’d like to make include cluster earrings (like
the ones from Pompeii, below), and the double-hemisphere bracelet
with period techniques.

22
Bibliography and Sources
Books
Coarelli, Filippo. Greek and Roman Jewellery. Milan: Hamlyn Publishing Group, 1966.

Croom, Alexandra. Roman Clothing and Fashion. Stroud, UK: Amberly Publishing,
2000.

Henig, Martin. Religion in Roman Britain. London: B.T. Batsford, 1984.

Higgins, Reynold. Jewellery from Classical Lands. London: British Museum
Publications, 1976.

Higgins, Reynold. Greek and Roman Jewellery. Los Angeles: University of California
Press, 1980.

Johns, Catherine, & Potter, Timothy. The Thetford Treasure: Roman Jewellery and
Silver. London: British Museum Publications Ltd, 1983.

J. Paul Getty Museum. Handbook of the Antiquities Collection. Los Angeles: Getty
Publications, 2002.

Kleiner, Diana & Matheson, Susan. I Claudia II: Women in Roman Art and Society.
Austin: University of Texas Press, 2000.

Ogden, Jack. Jewellery of the Ancient World. New York: Trefoil Books, Ltd., 1982.

Pinckernelle, Kathia. The Iconography of Ancient Greek and Roman Jewellery,
University of Glasgow, 2007

Pliny the Elder. The Natural History (English) (ed. John Bostock, M.D., F.R.S., H.T.
Riley, Esq., B.A.), Book 37, The Natural History of Precious Stones. At
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/

Sebesta, Judith L. The World of Roman Costume. Madison, WI: University of
Wisconsin Press, 2001.

Sofroniew, Alexandria. Household Gods. Los Angeles: Getty Publications, 2015.

Footnotes

23

1 One of a pair of Estruscan gold disks, late 4th century BCE. Each are 7/8” across.

Christie’s http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/ancient-art-antiquities/a-pair-of-
etruscan-gold-disks-circa-5158071-
details.aspx?from=salesummary&pos=3&intObjectID=5158071&sid=614e2ec4-
a495-490b-8e5b-68d7e8835615&page=4

2 Pinckernelle, Kathia. The Iconography of Ancient Greek and Roman Jewellery,

University of Glasgow, 2007.

3 Pliny, Natural History, Book 37, Chapter 6

4 Beckmann, Hist. Inv. Vol. II. p. 67, cited in a commentary on Pliny, Natural History,

book 37, ch 16-19.

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0137

5 John Bostock’s commentary on Natural History, book 37

6 Bedini, Alessandro, et al. The Vallerano Diamond From Ancient Rome: A Scientific Study. Gems &
Gemology: Spring 2012, pg 39. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stella_Cesaro/publication/273710987_The_Vallerano_Diamond_from
_Ancient_Rome_A_Scientific_Study/links/56e14f4608ae9b93f79d5d56.pdf?origin=publication_list

7 John Bostock’s commentary on Natural History, book 37, ch 15.

8 Gold and faceted carnelian. Rome, 1st-2nd century CE. The Walters Art Museum, #

57.1550 https://thewalters.org/

9 Ogden, Jack. Jewellery of the Ancient World. New York: Trefoil Books, Ltd., 1982.
10 Higgins, Reynold. Greek and Roman Jewellery. Los Angeles: University of California

Press, 1980.

11 Chasing Chatillon Sur Seine, Musée Du Châtillonnais (Archaeological Museum)

12 Tools from the House of the Surgeon, Pompeii. Photo from Wiki Commons.

13 http://metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/250568

14 Private conversation with Fjorlief InHaga, OL, 2/28/17.
15 http://www.fjellborg.org/LodinsToolbox.htm

16 National Museum of Georgia

17 Page 84, Croom, Alexandra. Roman Clothing and Fashion. Stroud, UK: Amberly

24

Publishing, 2000.

18 Page 83-84, Sofroniew, Alexandria. Household Gods. Los Angeles: Getty

Publications, 2015.
19 Pinckernelle, 2007.

20 Henig, Martin. Religion in Roman Britain. London: B.T. Batsford, 1984.

21 Earring (?) with pendant in the shape of male genitalia. Gold, emerald, coral. 3.9

cm. Thorvaldensens Museum, Inventory number:

H1863 http://www.thorvaldsensmuseum.dk/en/collections/

22 Roman Gold Bulla. Circa 1st Century B.C.-A.D. 1st Century. 1 1/4 in. (32mm in

length). Weight: 4.4 grams. Two convex disks are joined by wires; the top loop is
aesthetically embellished by ribbing and a coiled wire. Goldberg Coins and
Collectibles, via Christies.
http://images.goldbergauctions.com/php/lot_auc.php?site=1&lang=1&sale=49&lot
=1335

23 http://kcl-antiquities.co.uk/an-extremely-rare-complete-and-wearable-roman-

boys-bronze-bulla-amulet-with-its-original-protective-contents-still-intact-sold-
940-p.asp

24 Statue of Nero as a Child. Vatican Museums.

25 Gold and agate lunula necklace, 1st century CE. The Walters Art Museum, 57.525

26 British Museum, #1856,0701.810 Romano-British, 1st-2nd century.

Gold earring. Flat crescentic plate. Fine wire has been soldered around the edge and
in curling motifs on the face ending in very small coils at the points of the crescent,
perhaps to hold insets, though no trace now remains of glass or enamel. The central
motif has a possibly fortuitous phallic form. The wire has been incised to give the
impression of twisted wire. A wide strip of gold decorated with two ribs is split at
one end and soldered to the back of the plate curling forward above the plate to
provide a wide hook. The hook holds a ring of thin circular-sectioned wire, with
overlapped terminals which coil around the shank twice on either side (Type 3).
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Although this is an earring, the vast majority of lunulas are worn
as necklaces.

27 1st-2nd century CE, Romano-Celtic lunula http://www.ancientresource.com/

28 Made by local SCAdian Morgan Hall / Morgan de Comyn

25


29 Artificial sinew sourced at the Oregon Leather Company, Portland.

30 The seller is EmeraldGoldShop

https://www.etsy.com/shop/EmeraldGoldShop?ref=l2-shopheader-name

31 Rock crystal and carnelian bead necklace 1-2nd century CE. Composed of eleven
scaraboid shaped rock crystal beads, twelve biconical rock crystal beads. Interspersed with
twenty-four biconvex carnelian beads. L. 18 1/4" (46.4 cm). See: See: Limper K. Uruk.
Perlen. Ketten. Anhänger. Ph. Von Zabern, 1989, tbl. 59, 348; Christie's NY, Ancient
Jewelry, 12/08/1999, lot #98.

32 “Serena and her son Eucharius, late 4th century ivory diptych.” From Sebesta,

Judith L. The World of Roman Costume. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press,
2001.

33 Roman or Parthian carnelian necklace, I century B.C - I century A.D. Composed of

globular carnelian beads and seventeen conical pendants with round bottoms and tops.
Wide range of light orange to red-brown with different degree of transparency. Pendants and
beads have conical opening, some are drilled from both ends. Some globular beads have a
shallow slit across the opening at one or both ends to prevent drilling device from slipping.
L.17.5" (44.4 cm). See: Limper K. Uruk. Perlen. Ketten. Anhänger. Ph. Von Zabern, 1989,
tbl. 56, 57. http://www.ancienttouch.com/roman-necklaces.htm

34 Gold, 1st century BCE- 1st CE, 18 in. (45.7 cm)

Metropolitan Museum of Art, # 22.139.65

35 Gold and emerald necklace, 1-2nd century CE, Metropolitan Museum of Art, #

21.29.2

36 http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/21928/lot/136/

37 Pair of hemispherical gold ball earrings with S-shaped hooks: earrings of the

standard gold ball-and-disc type. The ball elements, forming less than a hemisphere,
are made of two sections with a very neat vertical join. At the back they are finished
with a flange 4 mm wide. A vertical supporting wire is attached at the back of the
ball, and the end of the recurved hook is coiled around the end of it; the hook then
runs up the back of the domed disc, about 9 mm in diameter, which is attached to
the top of the ball. The join is concealed by a row of four gold grains. 1st century,
Italy. British Museum, 1872,0604.1109


38 Israeli find, dated to 132-135 CE http://www.timesofisrael.com/cache-of-ro

Steisslinger

26

man-coins-and-jewelry-discovered-near-kiryat-gat/

39 Higgins, Raynold. Jewellery from Classical Lands. London: British Museum

Publications, 1976.

40 Gold bracelet found at Pompeii. National Archeological Museum of Naples. Picture

credits: On glass: Rosa Klein.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/93051314@N00/5531180731/
Red background: Nancy Steisslinger.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nsteiss/5055802452/in/photolist-BGwfV4-
CBAQdd-CBAGoA-BGwjFa-CDUBnV-BGoLQb-CBAKVW-BGoL27-BGwfe4-Cumjtu-
CBAQCG-BGoKPU-P4nPQh-Q7Ln2d-QhrjWy-QaxLb6-QaxJaH-QkLw1v-QhrgSN-
QkLkvc-QaxTKz-P7bTCv-QaxCFM-ManxYg-oeLK9S-ManCNg-dBuVpv-ovqrJu-
ovfaZ5-BGwmAx-odXjPW-C6ptuz-CBAYfW-CBB253-CDUQU4-8HbMQi-BGwoZF-
C6pBg6-CcMorj-CcMn13-cSRMJY-4AbqiV-cSRHPh-oxYbT2-ovWAWr-oeJREk-
oddUmG-kUNAgU-8GLiVN-6utPZ5/lightbox/ Both taken at a traveling exhibit. Used
with permission.

41 Gold and garnet, 3.01 grams, 34.94 mm/2.90 grams, 33.71 mm. 1st century BC-

4th century AD. A pair of loop-and-pendant earrings formed from expanding gold
wire formed into a hoop with twisted hook and loop ends. Each pendant is formed
from wire with a securing collar and two pierced garnets. Reference: Higgins,
R.A. Greek and Roman Jewellery, London, 1961 plate 54 A, C. Very fine condition,
complete. Provenance: from an old English collection.
http://www.time-lines.co.uk/roman-garnet-pendant-earrings-022705-32977-
0.html
42 Gold earring with rock crystal bead, 3.8cm. 1st-2nd century Metropolitan Museum

of Art, Accession Number: 74.51.3619

43 Earring with pearl and emerald pendant: the earring consists of a simple gold

penannular ring with overlapping ends, each finishing in a small knob; from this is
suspended a gold element incorporating a very small, round/oval box-setting,
tapering to a wire on which is threaded a pearl. The box-setting contains an
emerald, and between this and the pearl is a single reel-shaped gold bead, now
somewhat crushed. 3.25cm. British Museum, # 1872,0604.583

44 Gold, emerald, pearl. 2,0 cm diameter, Thorvaldsen’s Museum. Inventory number:

H1817

45 Ten pairs of roman gold earrings , 1st-3rd century CE, including three pairs with

plain disks; four pairs with disks framed by beaded wire and centered by a single
granule; another similar pair with spherical pendants hanging by stout beaded wire,
embellished with granules; a plain pair of beaded wire; and a pair with shields

27

above gold glass beads. Pair with the pendants: 1 1/8 in. (2.9 cm.) Christie’s.
http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/ancient-art-antiquities/ten-pairs-of-roman-
gold-earrings-circa-5274367-
details.aspx?from=salesummary&pos=3&intObjectID=5274367&sid=d8d19f3f-
1f37-4b2b-b8a2-758d035d5236&page=9

46 1st-3rd centuries C.E. Gold, stone

47 Gold, garnet, pearls. From a tomb in Bari, Italy. Sadly, this pair has now been

damaged by the addition of modern post-type backs by the owner so they are
“wearable.”
http://www.jewelsofancientlands.com/antiquities/antiquities0005.html
48 200 BCE-100 CE. Two earrings,with a disk and a pendant ending with a gold bead.

2.4 cm. Sold by lepanese on eBay, item #371641642266

49 Gold and agate, 4cm. Late 1st century B.C.–2nd century CE

Metropolitan Museum of Art, 74.51.3936

50 Loop earring with beads: a single tapered S-shaped wire with a small knob at the

tip is finished in front with a neat coiled-wire join. On the front of the wire a central
cylindrical dark blue glass (?) bead is set between two small emeralds. Separating
the stones are two small reel-shaped gold beads. The wire thickens immediately
below the beads to hold them in place. 2.9cm tall. British Museum, item number
1917,0601.2680

51 Gold and garnet, 1st-3rd c. London V&A 8734&A-1863

52 Gold, emerald, pearl. 4.8 cm Thorvaldsens Museum. Inventory number: H1836

53 Gold, emerald. 3.2 cm. Thorvaldsens Museum. Inventory number: H1829

54 Gold, sapphire, pearl. 3.4 cm. Thorvaldsens Museum. Inventory number: H1824

55 Gold, emerald, pearls. 4.3 cm. Thorvaldsens Museum. Inventory number: H1823
56 Photo by Sharon Rose, taken at the travelling British Museum Pompeii exhibit

while in Seattle, 2/15/15.

57 Metropolian Museum of Art, item # 20.235. 3.3cm.

58 Cameo and gold earring (c. 1 to c. 199 Italy)

http://www.onlinegalleries.com/art-and-antiques/detail/rare-roman-cameo-gold-
earring-/76613
59 Gold, emerald, pearl. 2,0 cm diameter, Thorvaldsen’s Museum. Inventory number:

H1817

28