A necklace of fourteen carnelian cylindrical tube beads alternating with sixteen gold cylindrical tube beads and a carnelian scarab beetle pendant. The carnelian beads are faced with turquoise disc beads and the gold tubes are faced with disc beads of lapis lazuli. Thirty-two gold granulated ring beads separate the lapis lazuli and turquoise discs. Suspended on a gold wire is a carnelian Egyptian scarab. There is a boss on the end of the wire that passes through the drill hole of the scarab. The wire is split and the two ends pass through a flared gold tube before spiraling in opposite directions around the cord on which the necklace is strung. A set of gold beading tips and a hook and eye clasp complete the necklace. The carnelian tubes are 7.5 mm – 9 mm in length and 3 mm – 3.9 mm in diameter. The drill hole diameters are 1.5 mm. The turquoise discs are 3.1 mm in diameter and about 2 mm in length. The lapis beads are similar in width and about 2 mm in length. The gold tubes are 5.5 mm in length and 2 mm in diameter. The granulated ring beads, thirty-two in all, are 3 mm in diameter and follow the sizes of the disc beads as they graduate to smaller size at the back of the necklace. The scarab is 1.2 cm in length, 9 mm in width, 5.9 mm in thickness, and the drill hole diameter is 1 mm. There are no inscriptions on the back; based on stylistic considerations it appears to be from the Middle Kingdom (c. 2040-1633). The scarab beetle was employed as an amulet to protect the wearer from mysterious hostile forces. Beads and amulets may be worn for various reasons, but in ancient Egypt the fundamental and most compelling purpose of jewelry was to protect from inimical powers. The colors of the stones themselves were protective as they came from the earth and preserved within themselves the color of life-blood, the fresh green of up sprouting vegetation, the blue of life-giving water, and the blue of the sacred sky realms. One was adorned with a celebration of all the nurturing powers of the earth. Among such magical substances must also be included gold. Easily worked and never loosing its lustre, it contains within itself all the fiery light and glory of the sun. The use of the four colors, red-orange carnelian, deep blue lapis lazuli, blue green turquoise and high carat gold, and the alternating bands of color give this necklace its Egyptian feeling. The stone beads of the necklace are over two thousand years years old, but unlike the carnelian scarab, they were not produced in ancient Egypt, but rather are from the Near East. The beads are contemporaneous with the scarab, and beads very similar to these were used in Egypt at that time. All the lapis lazuli used in ancient Egypt was imported from present day Afghanistan. Carnelian beads made by the Sumerians have also been found in ancient Egyptian burials, confirming that trade in these materials was widely carried on in ancient times.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 00:55:21 +0000
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