Many grand civilisations inhabited the area of Western Asia in Antiquity, and their wealth and prosperity are witnessed by the very sophisticated precious metal and stone crafting of jewellery. Elaborate and composite necklaces, rings, earrings and bracelets would have been worn in everyday life but also buried with the deceased.
Carnelian is a variety of chalcedony stone, which can range in colour between brownish-red to bright orange. Their warm colour is due to the presence of iron oxide in the mineral. It was commonly used as a semi-precious gemstone amongst various ancient civilisations. Red jasper is also a form of chalcedony, and its colours can range between shades of green, yellow, black, orange, yellow, blue, and brown.Most agates occur as nodules in volcanic rocks or ancient lavas. Agate can also be found in the veins or cracks of volcanic or altered rock. Such agates, when cut transversely, display a succession of parallel lines, therefore giving a banded appearance to the section. Such stones are known as banded agate, riband agate and striped agate and look very appealing as it can be seen in this necklace.
To discover more about jewellery in the Ancient World, please visit our relevant post: Jewellery in Antiquity.
