Roman jewels: from the engagement ring to the emperors' crown
In the history of goldsmithing, the invention of the engagement ring is attributed to the ancient Romans, but the importance of Roman jewels it is not limited to this. Although, at least initially, less refined and elaborate than Greek and Etruscan ones, even in ancient Rome precious jewels were important ornaments, which indicated the social status of the wearer and to which magical powers were often attributed.
Roman jewels, from ancient simplicity to the luxury of precious stones
The sober jewels of the republican age
In the first centuries, until the end of the Republican age (between 500 and 27 BC), the goldsmith's art did not have a great development in ancient Rome. Roman tradition and customs, in fact, were inspired by principles of simplicity and sobriety and contrasted everything that could make one think of luxury and pomp, such as the refined Greek jewelry. Although Roman craftsmen had learned goldsmith techniques from Etruscans, who were masters in granulation, in chiseling and in creating the watermark, i Roman jewels they were much more linear and simple. In fact, rather than for ornamentation, the jewels were worn as amulets, to protect oneself from evil spirits and to attract good luck. Among these, many were pendants, like the noise, which every family put around the neck of their male children immediately after birth and which was often made of lead covered with a sheet ofgold; children wore it until they were 16, the age of majority. Girls and boys, however, wore it until marriage lunula, which had the shape of a crescent moon and was believed to promote fertility.
The sumptuous Roman jewels of the imperial age
From the XNUMXst century AD, the expansion of the empire brought the Romans into contact with new peoples and new traditions, in particular the oriental ones, much more inclined towards luxury and refinement. Like many other aspects of Roman culture, the goldsmith's art also underwent this influence Roman jewels they became much more luxurious. The shapes became more complex and elaborate and new metals and precious stones began to be used more and more often, such as emeralds, sapphires, diamonds and amethysts, which came from the lands of the East. The most popular gems were the pearls, considered the most precious and refined. Jewelry thus became a symbol of wealth and social status, for both men and women.
Roman goldsmiths became important and gathered into guilds. A testimony to this is the famous frieze house of the Vettii in Pompeii, discovered by the excavations that brought to light the city buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. The frieze shows a long series of Cupids (the personification of the god Cupid in the form of a winged child) engaged in various professions, including that of 'goldsmith.
House of the Vettii
Rings, bracelets and fibulae: jewelery for men and women in ancient Rome
As we have said, it was the ancient Romans who invented theengagement ring and also the wedding ring. The first one was called annulus pronubus and it was the promise of marriage, the second vinculum and was exchanged during the wedding. Both were worn on the left ring finger, because it was believed that it passed through there vein amoris (vein of love), connected with the heart. Among Roman jewels, rings were the most appreciated: senators, since the times of the Republic, wore a gold one as a symbol of power. Men often wore rings with gems or engraved with the family coat of arms, to use as a seal.
The earrings (in Latin inaures) were instead the first ornament for women, who wore them since they were little girls, together with a small gold ring, often handed down from mother to daughter. Women also wore the buccola, a hoop bracelet worn on the arm, and precious clips in their hair. Jewelry was one of the few personal possessions of Roman women.
Bracelets were also used for the wrists, which often had the shape of a snake, considered a symbol of immortality and therefore a good omen.
Men and women also wore the fibulae, or the pins that kept the clothes closed. Born for a functional purpose, over time they became real jewels, often made of gold and precious stones and with elaborate decorations.
Finally, among the Roman jewels one cannot help but remember the leafy crown, which reproduced two intertwined laurel branches in gold. Julius Caesar used it first and since then it became the symbolic crown of the Roman emperors.
