Jewelry appears in the archaeological record of Egypt as early as 4500 B.C. Both men and women in Ancient Egypt wore jewelry, and for different reasons. Egyptians would adorn themselves with earrings, rings, necklaces, hair ornaments, pectorals, crowns, and amulets for personal protection.
Gemstones such as lapis lazuli and turquoise were imported through trade along the Silk Roads, with Alexandria in the north and Berenice in the east at the Red Sea... also through the trans-Saharan trade route which stretched across the Sahara Desert. Purple amethyst was popular during the Middle Kingdom, while glass was used in some 18th-dynasty jewelry, such as in King Tutankhamun’s pectorals and inlaid mummy mask.
Allow me to introduce to you to a multimedia work in progress; the “Walk Like an Egyptian” handcrafted beaded jewelry by beYOUteous. I call this a “multimedia work in progress” because it ties into a series of articles that will morph into a body of work that uncovers the history of various civilizations of past. It ultimately will tie into the publication of my next book… Don’t Cry for Me, Alexandria.
Handcrafted with glass Japanese cylinder beads, the “Walk Like an Egyptian” handcrafted beaded jewelry by beYOUteous pieces are available as “The Classic” geometric beaded earrings, the “Small & Delectable” earrings, the “Big & Delicious” earrings, as pedants on a chain of gold rocailles beads, and stackable rings. They center around the colors green, red, blue, mustard yellow, black, and white.
- Green (wadj) was the color of new life. Images of Osiris with green skin refer to his resurrection and power over vegetation.
- Red (dshr) symbolized life and victory as well as anger and fire. In the context of anger and fire, red was the color of the god Set, the personification of evil and powers of darkness.
- Blue (irtyu) was the color of the heavens, of water… and represented creation or rebirth. There’s also the theory that blue was also symbolic of the Nile and represented fertility.
- Yellow (khenet, kenit) designated the eternal and indestructible. It was celebrated as being the color of the sun and of gold.
- Black (kem) symbolized death, the underworld and night. Osiris, king of the afterlife, was referred to as “the black one.” Anubis, god of embalming was portrayed as a black jackal or dog. Queen Ahmose-Nefertari was the patroness of the necropolis and depicted in black. In general, the color black symbolized Egypt which was known as Kemetin ancient times for the dark soil of the Nile valley.
- White (hedj) denotes purity and omnipotence. It represented things sacred and simple. Opposite in meaning, red and white were at times placed together to symbolize completeness.
In A History of Beaded Jewelry: Ancient to Contemporary, I shared that somewhere between 200,000 to 300,000 years ago, Homo sapiens evolved in Africa. Tens of thousands of years later, Africans acquired seashells and began using them as part of their economic activities, exchanging them for other things of value. These trading activities may have been one of the reasons why humans developed language. How fascinating is that?
I hope you’ll consider shopping and sharing “Walk Like an Egyptian” handcrafted beaded jewelry by beYOUteous with friends and loved ones.
All pieces are handmade to order by myself, the artist, Lawrence Jean-Louis. I'd love to have you as a customer.
---
beYOUteous is an eCommerce store offering a line of handcrafted beaded jewelry which aims to spread the message for embracing individuality, feminine strength, and empowerment.