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Etruscan jewellery, an ancient and still current goldsmith's art

Etruscan jewels, Etruscan jewels, an ancient and still current goldsmith's art

Refined and elegant, the Etruscan jewels they have always been the symbol of a refined goldsmith's art, centered on a particular and elaborate working of gold. The techniques created by the Etruscan goldsmith masters more than 2700 years ago are still used today. But who were the Etruscans and how did they become famous for their jewels?

The Etruscans and the art of jewellery

The Etruscans were the people who lived in an area corresponding to present-day central Italy, between Tuscany, Lazio and Umbria, called Etruria, in the period between the XNUMXth and XNUMXst centuries BC. According to tradition, the last three of the seven in Rome were of etruscan.

Their civilization reached its maximum splendor in the so-called "orientalizing" era, between about 730 and 580 BC), when the Etruscan princes began to imitate the luxurious lifestyle of the courts and nobles of the Near East. From there expert goldsmiths arrived in Etruria, who opened shops and spread their knowledge to local craftsmen. Thus was born a rich production of Etruscan jewels.

Nobles loved to show off their wealth through precious ornaments, such as buckles, brooches, bracelets, rings. The preferred metal was gold, both for its preciousness and because it was incorruptible and therefore also suitable for artifacts intended to accompany the journey of the deceased to the afterlife. Many Etruscan jewels, in fact, they were found in the tombs discovered in the necropolises between Tuscany and Lazio, as can be seen from the rich collection of the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia in Rome.

Etruscan jewels, Etruscan jewels, an ancient and still current goldsmith's art

Granulation and other Etruscan goldsmith techniques

What immediately made the Etruscan goldsmith's art famous, and which has maintained its fame over more than 2000 years, were the manufacturing techniques. Expert oriental goldsmiths brought their ability to work gold to Etruria to make the most of its main characteristics, ductility and shine.

The technique that made i Etruscan jewels and the granulation, which consists in applying very small gold spheres on the surface of a jewel or other object, always in gold, to create designs or ornamental elements. This technique was already used in the third millennium BC and then spread in Greek and Egyptian goldsmithing, but it was the Etruscan craftsmen who became the greatest experts in granulation. Their virtuosity consisted in knowing how to work gold granules of minimum dimensions, which could reach 2 tenths of a millimetre, and in welding them onto the surface of the jewel to create complex decorations, which created unique contrasts of color and light on the gold base .

In addition to granulation, the Etruscans also used other techniques, such as filigree, created by weaving thin metal wires together, embossing and chiseling. On many jewels they also created special cavities to set hard stones, such as amber from the Baltic Sea, which made the jewels even more precious.

Etruscan jewellery, elegant and sought after from antiquity to today

Expert Etruscan goldsmiths created ornaments of all kinds for their wealthy clients, who, as we have said, preferred pomp and luxury. Many of the Etruscan jewels were intended for women, who had an important role in society and loved to appear in public adorned with necklaces, bracelets, brooches and buckles for dresses and belts. Among the typical female ornaments there were also hair clips and braid clips in the shape of a spiral. However, women's favorite jewels were earrings, in particular disc-shaped ones, which could exceed 7 centimeters in diameter, and "bauletto" earrings, made from a curved plate. Male ornaments, on the other hand, were mainly buckles for cloaks, brooches and rings.

The oriental influence often led to jewels being decorated with animals, but also with imaginary creatures such as chimeras, sphinxes and winged lions, or with characters and scenes from myths and legends.

The elegance of Etruscan jewels it has remained over time and has come down to us in the creations which combine the link with the millenary tradition with the style of contemporary sculpture-jewelry.

Etruscan jewels, Etruscan jewels, an ancient and still current goldsmith's art

Heritage pendant chiseled in rose gold, signed DAVERIO1933.