Origin: Sinai, Egypt Circa: 1900 BC to 1300 BC Medium: Faience Most Ancient Egyptian beads were made of faience, a glass-composite glaze which was introduced as early as  More »

Origin: Sinai, Egypt Circa: 1900 BC to 1300 BC Medium: Faience Most Ancient Egyptian beads were made of faience, a glass-composite glaze which was introduced as early as the Pre-Dynastic period. According to Egyptologists, such beads were made on an axis, probably of thread, which would burn up during firing, leaving a hole. Disc, ring and tubular beads were made by coating the axis with the unfired body-paste, rolling the cylinder to an even diameter on a flat surface, and then scoring it with a knife into sections of the desired length. Other shapes, such as ball beads, were rolled between the hands and perforated while still wet with a stiff point such as a wire needle. The beads were then dried, coated with glaze (if the glaze had not already been mixed with the paste), and fired. The firing process often gave the beads a beautiful translucent quality. The majority of faience beads are blue or green in color, but black, red, yellow and white ones were also produced, especially in the New Egyptian Kingdom. - (SB.0412)   « Less

Origin: Middle East (Diverse Tomb Sites) Circa: 1900 BC to 900 BC Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Medium: Faience-Quartz The love of ornament is as old as civilization  More »

Origin: Middle East (Diverse Tomb Sites) Circa: 1900 BC to 900 BC Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Medium: Faience-Quartz The love of ornament is as old as civilization itself. By wearing jewelry that is unusual or unique, we define ourselves as individuals and set ourselves apart from the crowd. Throughout antiquity, in every great culture, beads were formed from colored gems, glass, ceramic, shell, bone and metal in an endless variety of shapes and sizes. Sometimes they were worn for their magical or curative powers, at other times simply for their beauty. They were worn by people, highborn and low, the citizen of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Judea, Greece, Rome and Byzantium. Frequently these jewels, so prized in life, were buried with their owners to adorn them through eternity. When we wear them today, we add another chapter to their long and fascinating history. - (SB.0432)   « Less

Origin: Sinai, Egypt (diverse tomb sites) Circa: 3300 BC to 2300 BC Medium: Limestone-Faience Necklace composed of ancient limestone beads and faience beads from the Old  More »

Origin: Sinai, Egypt (diverse tomb sites) Circa: 3300 BC to 2300 BC Medium: Limestone-Faience Necklace composed of ancient limestone beads and faience beads from the Old Egyptian Kingdom periods. The love of ornament is as old as civilization itself. By wearing jewelry that is unusual or unique, we define ourselves as individuals and set ourselves apart from the crowd. Throughout antiquity, in every great culture, beads were formed from colored gems, glass, ceramic, shell, bone and metal in an endless variety of shapes and sizes. Sometimes they were worn for their magical or curative powers, at other times simply for their beauty. They were worn by people, highborn and low, the citizen of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Judea, Greece, Rome and Byzantium. Frequently these jewels, so prized in life, were buried with their owners to adorn them through eternity. When we wear them today, we add another chapter to their long and fascinating history. - (SB.0446)   « Less

Origin: Sinai, Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 1300 BC Medium: Faience Most Ancient Egyptian beads were made of faience, a glass-composite glaze which was introduced as early as  More »

Origin: Sinai, Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 1300 BC Medium: Faience Most Ancient Egyptian beads were made of faience, a glass-composite glaze which was introduced as early as the Pre-Dynastic period. According to Egyptologists, such beads were made on an axis, probably of thread, which would burn up during firing, leaving a hole. Disc, ring and tubular beads were made by coating the axis with the unfired body-paste, rolling the cylinder to an even diameter on a flat surface, and then scoring it with a knife into sections of the desired length. Other shapes, such as ball beads, were rolled between the hands and perforated while still wet with a stiff point such as a wire needle. The beads were then dried, coated with glaze (if the glaze had not already been mixed with the paste), and fired. The firing process often gave the beads a beautiful translucent quality. The majority of faience beads are blue or green in color, but black, red, yellow and white ones were also produced, especially in the New Egyptian Kingdom. - (SB.0453)   « Less

Origin: Sinai, Egypt Circa: 1900 BC to 1300 BC Medium: Faience Most Ancient Egyptian beads were made of faience, a glass-composite glaze which was introduced as early as  More »

Origin: Sinai, Egypt Circa: 1900 BC to 1300 BC Medium: Faience Most Ancient Egyptian beads were made of faience, a glass-composite glaze which was introduced as early as the Pre-Dynastic period. According to Egyptologists, such beads were made on an axis, probably of thread, which would burn up during firing, leaving a hole. Disc, ring and tubular beads were made by coating the axis with the unfired body-paste, rolling the cylinder to an even diameter on a flat surface, and then scoring it with a knife into sections of the desired length. Other shapes, such as ball beads, were rolled between the hands and perforated while still wet with a stiff point such as a wire needle. The beads were then dried, coated with glaze (if the glaze had not already been mixed with the paste), and fired. The firing process often gave the beads a beautiful translucent quality. The majority of faience beads are blue or green in color, but black, red, yellow and white ones were also produced, especially in the New Egyptian Kingdom. - (SB.0459)   « Less

Origin: Egypt (Sinai) Circa: 1600 BC to 1300 BC Medium: Faience Most Ancient Egyptian beads were made of faience, a glass-composite glaze which was introduced as early as  More »

Origin: Egypt (Sinai) Circa: 1600 BC to 1300 BC Medium: Faience Most Ancient Egyptian beads were made of faience, a glass-composite glaze which was introduced as early as the Pre-Dynastic period. According to Egyptologists, such beads were made on an axis, probably of thread, which would burn up during firing, leaving a hole. Disc, ring and tubular beads were made by coating the axis with the unfired body-paste, rolling the cylinder to an even diameter on a flat surface, and then scoring it with a knife into sections of the desired length. Other shapes, such as ball beads, were rolled between the hands and perforated while still wet with a stiff point such as a wire needle. The beads were then dried, coated with glaze (if the glaze had not already been mixed with the paste), and fired. The firing process often gave the beads a beautiful translucent quality. The majority of faience beads are blue or green in color, but black, red, yellow and white ones were also produced, especially in the New Egyptian Kingdom. - (SB.0467)   « Less

Origin: Sinai, Egypt Circa: 1900 BC to 1300 BC Medium: Faience Most Ancient Egyptian beads were made of faience, a glass-composite glaze which was introduced as early as  More »

Origin: Sinai, Egypt Circa: 1900 BC to 1300 BC Medium: Faience Most Ancient Egyptian beads were made of faience, a glass-composite glaze which was introduced as early as the Pre-Dynastic period. According to Egyptologists, such beads were made on an axis, probably of thread, which would burn up during firing, leaving a hole. Disc, ring and tubular beads were made by coating the axis with the unfired body-paste, rolling the cylinder to an even diameter on a flat surface, and then scoring it with a knife into sections of the desired length. Other shapes, such as ball beads, were rolled between the hands and perforated while still wet with a stiff point such as a wire needle. The beads were then dried, coated with glaze (if the glaze had not already been mixed with the paste), and fired. The firing process often gave the beads a beautiful translucent quality. The majority of faience beads are blue or green in color, but black, red, yellow and white ones were also produced, especially in the New Egyptian Kingdom. - (SB.0531)   « Less

Origin: Sinai, Egypt (diverse tomb sites) Circa: 3300 BC to 1300 BC Collection: egyptian Medium: Faience-Carnelian Necklace composed of antique faience beads from the  More »

Origin: Sinai, Egypt (diverse tomb sites) Circa: 3300 BC to 1300 BC Collection: egyptian Medium: Faience-Carnelian Necklace composed of antique faience beads from the middle and new Egyptian Kingdoms and antique carnelian and yellow quartz beads from the early Egyptian dynastic period. The love of ornament is as old as civilization itself. By wearing jewelry that is unusual or unique, we define ourselves as individuals and set ourselves apart from the crowd. Throughout antiquity, in every great culture, beads were formed from colored gems, glass, ceramic, shell, bone and metal in an endless variety of shapes and sizes. Sometimes they were worn for their magical or curative powers, at other times simply for their beauty. They were worn by people, highborn and low, the citizen of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Judea, Greece, Rome and Byzantium. Frequently these jewels, so prized in life, were buried with their owners to adorn them through eternity. When we wear them today, we add another chapter to their long and fascinating history. - (SB.0550)   « Less

Origin: Sinai, Egypt (diverse tomb sites) Circa: 3300 BC to 1300 BC Medium: Carnelian-Quartz The love of ornament is as old as civilization itself. By wearing jewelry that  More »

Origin: Sinai, Egypt (diverse tomb sites) Circa: 3300 BC to 1300 BC Medium: Carnelian-Quartz The love of ornament is as old as civilization itself. By wearing jewelry that is unusual or unique, we define ourselves as individuals and set ourselves apart from the crowd. Throughout antiquity, in every great culture, beads were formed from colored gems, glass, ceramic, shell, bone and metal in an endless variety of shapes and sizes. Sometimes they were worn for their magical or curative powers, at other times simply for their beauty. They were worn by people, highborn and low, the citizen of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Judea, Greece, Rome and Byzantium. Frequently these jewels, so prized in life, were buried with their owners to adorn them through eternity. When we wear them today, we add another chapter to their long and fascinating history. - (SB.0551)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1900 BC to 300 BC Medium: Faience Most Ancient Egyptian beads were made of faience, a glass-composite glaze which was introduced as early as the  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1900 BC to 300 BC Medium: Faience Most Ancient Egyptian beads were made of faience, a glass-composite glaze which was introduced as early as the Pre-Dynastic period. According to Egyptologists, such beads were made on an axis, probably of thread, which would burn up during firing, leaving a hole. Disc, ring and tubular beads were made by coating the axis with the unfired body-paste, rolling the cylinder to an even diameter on a flat surface, and then scoring it with a knife into sections of the desired length. Other shapes, such as ball beads, were rolled between the hands and perforated while still wet with a stiff point such as a wire needle. The beads were then dried, coated with glaze (if the glaze had not already been mixed with the paste), and fired. The firing process often gave the beads a beautiful translucent quality. The majority of faience beads are blue or green in color, but black, red, yellow and white ones were also produced, especially in the New Egyptian Kingdom. - (SB.0582)   « Less