Ever since human civilization happened it is known to us through centuries and through cultures, the different kinds of materials which were either considered rare or beautiful or both ranging from pebbles to bones, from tusks to pearls, even the corals, enamels, and the beautiful ceramics humans have always loved then and fancied having them. 

In the earlier times, people did not emphasize the intrinsic value of materials rather than their aesthetic value, if a thing looked good it was of much higher value to them as compared to something which had a high value but wasn’t as good looking. Instead of gold, they could even prefer a steel-made ornament had that been crafted in a better way.

It’s been millennials since the craftsmen started working upon the jewelry as we know it today, it is anything but inevitable that the jewelry we wear today is not inspired by the ones in earlier decades or maybe centuries. Today with the help of JD Institute we have researched and curated a list of 4 stunning pieces of jewelry that were made ages ago but still are in fashion.

1. Egyptian Gliding 

The Egyptian jewellery artists’ works can be traced back to the 4th-century BCE, they soon created many designs and patterns which intrigued people they made gold leaves on many things and engraved them as well, which made it an indicator of high status. Most of the artifacts now are missing credits to the grave looters who stole them however some fascinating pieces are still left and one of them is the Egyptian gliding.

The process is a very difficult one and archaeologists date it back to the Saqqara Tomb they discovered which is probably from 2500 BCE. It had the perfect color due to the blend of gold and an alloy, it was a very tiring process is what the archaeologists could derive from the paintings engraved in the tomb, this technique influenced the Roman Empire and was carried and preserved by them.  

2. Mesopotamian Filigree

Filigree is a technique of metalsmiths in which they twist, turn, and coil the fine wires in order to mold them into different fascinating shapes which resemble lacework. These shapes may be anything as this art has infinite possibilities and one may make the figure of their favorite cartoon to their favorite car, though it’s very tedious and difficult to do this it is achievable.

It is known as the Mesopotamian Filigree as Mesopotamia was the place where they would be found first, in the province which is modern-day Turkey. It has a very strong influence on the civilizations surrounding it, due to the development of agriculture the people remained there only and did not have to move away.

This was a contributing factor that led to the development of modern architecture and decor there, hence the filigree and other cool pieces of jewelry as well. The art forms have been found not only in Mesopotamia but they were found as far as the modern-day Ireland and Serbia which makes one question was it the globalization that happened during that time or were the people so interconnected that they had the same pieces of similar ornaments so many miles away as well. The traditional metal artisans present there have come up with more creative ideas to make this even better they gave it extra soldering along with adding some extra beads which add to the charisma of the ornament giving it one of a kind design.

3. Ancient Greek Enamelling

Enamelling is when a glass-like glaze was added to the surface of hollow metal. This was done to merge both the materials permanently, to get a much stronger gemstone-like substance. This substance then achieved was the enamel.

It dates back to around 1300 BCE when Greek blacksmiths were the ones who first tried to decorate their jewellery like this with enameling. When people saw it they were in awe of the strength and the protection it provided, it became the new trend and soon as more people became aware of the same it spread throughout the empire and enameling became a much common process and it began to feature in almost every other statue and other artwork throughout the empire.

Over the years there were too many developments in the form of art and their extent went from gold to another precious metal called cloisonne, It was a precious metal created with the help of soldering many other precious metals in many designs as the craftsman liked and then filling the open cells in with colorful enamel, it creates a marvelous design which has left many spellbound across the globe who have seen it.

 It is still a popular art throughout the world because of the strength it provides it is now used on many figures across the world, and there is a very big market for such antiques as well.

4. Damascus Steel

We curate a list of ancient jewellery pieces but do not include India – the golden bird? Not possible right, It was around 2,000 years ago that Damascus steel was forged in southern India, where due to the courtesy of the Portuguese and Mughal rulers it traveled through the Silk Road only to land up in present-day Syria.

During what the French called expansion, but was an invasion, they took these precious blades away from us which our craftsmen formed to such a precision that these blades could cut rock without losing their edge. They took our blades back to Europe in order to create a replica of it but were not able to do so, shows how skilled the Indian craftsmen were that they created such blades without even having a reference. The Damascus steel was one of the best weapons the armies had back in the day however with modernization it got lost and now is just a reference of history.

Jewellery has been always a part of the human life, since its inception people have loved jewelry and have always tried to innovate and imitate the new design forms, however, there is only so much that they can innovate, hence the ones like the Egyptian gliding and the Mesopotamian filigree are with us till date even though they are centuries old they still captivate the person seeing them and hold to their form and shine. If a person wants to learn more about such designs, ancient pieces, and the new ones they can learn by enrolling in a jewelry designing course at JD Institute where they give a holistic development to the students enrolled and help them achieve their dreams.