The scarab beetle of ancient Egypt is an emblem of the creator Kheper. The word “Kheper” denotes being, existence, creation or becoming and the god Khepera is the self-existent maker of all things. By far the most important amulet in ancient Egypt was the scarab, symbolically as sacred to the Egyptians as the cross is to Christians. Based upon the dung beetle, this sacred creature forms a ball of dung around its semen and rolls it in a large ball over the sand dropping it into its burrow. The female lays her eggs on the ground and covers them with the excrement ball that is consumed by the larvae that emerge in the following days as if miraculously reborn. In the life cycle of the beetle, the Ancient Egyptians envisioned a microcosm of the daily rebirth of the sun. They imagined the ancient sun god Khepri was a great scarab beetle rolling the sun across the heavens. The scarab also became a symbol of the enduring human soul as well, hence its frequent appearance in funerary art.
A regal lion is the focal point of this handsome scarab. Assertively striding forward, with bushy mane and tail held high, this carved lion refits his role as the ancient Egyptian symbol of power. Egyptian kings were closely associated with lions; Amenhotep II and Amenhotep III were especially known for their lion hunts. Lions appeared in Egyptian mythology in many guises. Two lions were represented as the pierce guardians of the two horizons and according to one creation legend, the two first gods to came from the solar beginnings were in the form of a pair of lion cubs, swift and devouring like a flame, burning like the eye of the sun, the king of beasts--the lion was a most powerful symbol to the ancient Egyptians. Though the majestic animals no longer roam along the fringes of the Egyptian desert, their ancient spirits continue to captivate us, evoking imaginative scenes of Pharonic splendor. - (FJ.5118)

Antiquities
Ancient Jewelry