Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 4 th Century BC to 3 rd Century BC Collection: Coin Jewelry Style: Greek Coin Earrings Medium: Gold and Silver The island nation of Rhodes  More »

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 4 th Century BC to 3 rd Century BC Collection: Coin Jewelry Style: Greek Coin Earrings Medium: Gold and Silver The island nation of Rhodes was an immensely successful commercial power of the Aegean. They strategically sided with Athens but, when in jeopardy, negotiated favorable surrenders to Sparta, Alexander the Great, and Demetrios Poliorketes, allowing them to sustain at least some degree of independence based on neutrality. Rhodes was named for the rose, depicted on the reverse of this coin. A portrait of Helios, the sun god, wearing a crown of rays graces the obverse. This image was based upon the head of the great statue of Helios, better known as the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Colossus memorialized the war with Demetrios Poliorketes. He unsuccessfully attacked the city for over a year, around 305- 304 B.C. Eventually, a settlement was negotiated and Poliorketes abandoned his siege towers constructed from valuable timbers that the Rhodeans in turn sold off for shipbuilding. The proceeds from this sale were invested in the huge (105 ft.) bronze statue of Helios standing at the entrance of the harbor. These two genuine Ancient Greek coins have been mounted in a modern pair of stunning 18 Karat gold earrings.   « Less

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 2 nd Century AD Collection: Coin Jewelry Style: Roman Coin Earrings Medium: Gold and Silver Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus was born on  More »

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 2 nd Century AD Collection: Coin Jewelry Style: Roman Coin Earrings Medium: Gold and Silver Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus was born on August 31, 161 A.D. to the Emperor Marcus Aurelius and Faustina Junior. Of their thirteen children, he was the only boy to survive early childhood, thus making him the logical heir to the throne. He was appointed as Caesar at the age of five and was officially presented to the army at the age of twelve in 173 A.D. Two years later, young Commodus was named Princeps Ivventis and coopted in the college of priests. Next, he accompanied his father on a victorious military campaign against the Germans and the Sarmatians. In 177 A.D., the title of Augustus was bestowed upon him and he was lofted to the position of co-ruler alongside his father. That same year, he was married to Crispina, the daughter of one of the dutiful generals on the Sarmatian campaign. The next year, Commodus embarked upon another German campaign that ended with a favorable peace shortly after his father’s death in 180 A.D. Soon afterward, a Senatorial plot was uncovered and suppressed in 182 A.D. Implicated in the conspiracy were both his wife Crispina and his sister Lucilla, both of whom would be exiled to Capri. Ten years later, on December 31, 192 A.D., Commodus was murdered. - (FJ.7156)   « Less

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 307 AD to 337 AD Collection: Coin Jewelry Style: Roman Coin Earrings Medium: Gold and Bronze Constantine I, called Constantine the Great,  More »

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 307 AD to 337 AD Collection: Coin Jewelry Style: Roman Coin Earrings Medium: Gold and Bronze Constantine I, called Constantine the Great, was the first Roman ruler to be converted to Christianity. He was the founder of Constantinople (present-day Istanbul), which remained the capital of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire until 1453. Constantine the Great unified a tottering empire, reorganized the Roman state, and set the stage for the final victory of Christianity at the end of the 4th century. Many modern scholars accept the sincerity of his religious conviction. His conversion was a gradual process; at first he probably associated Christ with the victorious sun god. By the time of the Council of Nicaea (325), however, he was completely Christian, but still tolerated paganism among his subjects. Although criticized by his enemies as a proponent of a crude and false religion, Constantine the Great strengthened the Roman Empire and ensured its survival in the East. As the first emperor to rule in the name of Jesus Christ, he was a major figure in the foundation of medieval Christian Europe. - (FJ.7157)   « Less

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 98 AD to 117 AD Collection: Jewelry Style: Roman Coin Earrings Medium: Gold, Tourmaline Trajan was born in 53 A.D. to a family of Roman  More »

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 98 AD to 117 AD Collection: Jewelry Style: Roman Coin Earrings Medium: Gold, Tourmaline Trajan was born in 53 A.D. to a family of Roman origin residing in Itálica (near modern Sevilla, Spain). Conqueror of Dacia (modern Romania) and Mesopotamia, he ruled the Roman Empire from the year 98 until his death in 117. He was trained as a youth in the Roman army and took an active part in campaigns in Spain, Syria, and Germany during the reigns of the emperors Titus and Domitian. Trajan achieved distinction as a general of outstanding ability, and in 91 he was elected a consul. In 97, he was adopted by Emperor Nerva as his colleague and successor. On the death of Nerva the following year, Trajan, who was at that time inspecting the Roman frontier in Germany, became the sole ruler of the empire. How many hands have touched a coin in your pocket or purse? What eras and lands have the coin traversed on its journey into our possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of who might have touched the coin before us, or where the coin will venture to after it leaves our hands. More than money, coins are a symbol of the state that struck them, of a specific time and location, whether contemporary currencies or artifacts of a long forgotten empire. These stunning hand-struck coins reveals an expertise of craftsmanship and intricate sculptural detail that is often lacking in contemporary machine- made currencies. Numerous monuments scattered throughout the Roman Empire today bear testimony to Trajan’s reign. However, perhaps no ruin is as personal and intimate as these coins. Although simple in form and function, void of any grandeur or pomposity, this pair of coins is not a stagnant memorial but an active artifact of a leader passed from the hands of civilization to civilization, from generation to generation. - (FJ.7252)   « Less

Origin: Israel (Sebastia, Samaria) Circa: 79 AD to 81 AD Collection: Roman Silver Coin Cufflinks Medium: Silver-Gold The triumphal arch erected by Titus to celebrate his  More »

Origin: Israel (Sebastia, Samaria) Circa: 79 AD to 81 AD Collection: Roman Silver Coin Cufflinks Medium: Silver-Gold The triumphal arch erected by Titus to celebrate his victories in the East still stands in the Roman forum today. These splendid tokens of classical grandeur are fitting adornment for a man who has had a few lasting triumphs of his own. - (FJ.2153)   « Less

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 98 AD to 117 AD Collection: Jewelry Style: Roman Coin Cufflinks Medium: Silver and Gold Additional Information: The coins were found in  More »

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 98 AD to 117 AD Collection: Jewelry Style: Roman Coin Cufflinks Medium: Silver and Gold Additional Information: The coins were found in Samaria, Israel. The vigor and confidence that defined Trajan as a man and an emperor radiate from these ancient coins. His proud imperial image epitomizes Rome at the peak of her glory. Set in cufflinks of classic good taste, they are the perfect accessories for someone who shares Trajan’s sense of destiny. Though there are few reigning emperors in the world today, the man who wears these cufflinks will surely feel as privileged as one. - (FJ.3332)   « Less

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 96 AD to 98 AD Collection: Jewelry Style: Roman Coin Cufflinks Medium: Diamonds, Gold Marcus Cocceius Nerva was born about 30 A.D. of an  More »

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 96 AD to 98 AD Collection: Jewelry Style: Roman Coin Cufflinks Medium: Diamonds, Gold Marcus Cocceius Nerva was born about 30 A.D. of an important senatorial family. The future emperor was a distinguished lawyer who held major political posts under Nero and the Flavians. His part in the successful assassination plot against the emperor Domitian in 96 A.D. is uncertain, but he was elevated to the imperial throne on the very same day. Though strongly supported by the senate, Nerva was forced to deal with the army and the Praetorian Guard, both angry over the death of Domitian. Two of his political allies were killed by the praetorians for their part in the plot while Nerva was forced to stand by helplessly. Childless, Nerva chose as his successor the greatest military leader of the day, Trajan. This proved to be an excellent decision and set the precedent for the eighty years of good rule that followed; each of the next four emperors, without living heirs, chose the most worthy man to succeed him. Nerva died in January 98 A.D., after a very short reign which had set the roman empire back on the path of good government. These stunning silver coins from the time of Nerva are framed by lustrous gold and radiant diamonds, creating extraordinary cufflinks that will surely make the wearer feel every bit as regal as a roman emperor. - (FJ.5061)   « Less

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 337 AD to 361 AD Collection: Jewelry Style: Roman Coin Cufflinks Medium: Bronze and Gold Flavius Julius Constantius was born on August 7,  More »

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 337 AD to 361 AD Collection: Jewelry Style: Roman Coin Cufflinks Medium: Bronze and Gold Flavius Julius Constantius was born on August 7, 317 to Fausta and Constantine the Great. He became Caesar on November 8, 324 and Augustus on September 9, 337 after his father's death. He received the eastern provinces in the division of the Empire with his brothers Constans and Constantine II. He spent much of his reign warring with the Sassanian Empire under Sapor II, but suppressed Magnentius, the murderer of Constans, to become the sole Augustus in August of 353. He died of illness on November 3, 361 near Tarsus while marching to suppress Julian II, who had declared himself Augustus in early 360.Like his father before him, Constantius II played a prominent role in the early history of the Christian Church. He was a tolerant and just ruler, although he stifled any possible competitors to his power. These two handsome coins show the noble profile of Constantius wearing a laurel wreath and cuirass. On the reverse of one are two victories facing each other. The power of these coins comes from the strength of a ruler who carried on the line of the great Constantine I; just as the wearer of these cuff links will continue a long tradition of ornamentation bearing impressive images of the past. - (FJ.6088)   « Less

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 193 AD to 211 AD Collection: Coin Jewelry Style: Roman Coin Cufflinks Medium: Silver and Gold Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus was born  More »

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 193 AD to 211 AD Collection: Coin Jewelry Style: Roman Coin Cufflinks Medium: Silver and Gold Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus was born April 11, 145 A.D. in Leptis Magna, a Carthaginian city located in North Africa. Severus came from a distinguished local family; his cousins received suffect consulships in Rome under Antoninus Pius. Severus restored stability to the Roman Empire after the tumultuous reign of the emperor Commodus and the outbreaks of civil war that erupted in the wake of Commodus' murder. However, by giving greater pay and benefits to soldiers and annexing the troublesome lands of northern Mesopotamia into the Roman empire, Septimius Severus brought increasing financial and military burdens to Rome's government. Although his prudent administration allowed these burdens to be met during his eighteen years on the throne, his reign was not entirely sunny. Overall, his reign marks a critical stage in the development of the absolute despotism that characterized the later Roman Empire.How many hands have touched a coin in your pocket or purse? What eras and lands have the coin traversed on its journey into our possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of who might have touched the coin before us, or where the coin will venture to after it leaves our hands. More than money, coins are a symbol of the state that struck them, of a specific time and location, whether contemporary currencies or artifacts of a long forgotten empire. This pair of stunning hand-struck coins reveals an expertise of craftsmanship and intricate sculptural detail that is often lacking in contemporary machine- made currencies. These ancient coins are a memorial to the Emperor Septimius Severus, passed from the hands of civilization to civilization, from generation to generation that still appears as vibrant today as the day they were struck. - (FJ.6311)   « Less

Origin: Holy Land Circa: 565 AD to 578 AD Collection: Byzantine Gold Coin Cufflinks Style: Solidus Medium: Gold These Gold Coins are Set in 18 Karat Gold Cuff Links  More »

Origin: Holy Land Circa: 565 AD to 578 AD Collection: Byzantine Gold Coin Cufflinks Style: Solidus Medium: Gold These Gold Coins are Set in 18 Karat Gold Cuff Links Justin II was the nephew of Justinian I and was chosen for succession before his unc1e’s death. His assumption of power was made more difficult by the over-ambitious policies of his predecessor. Faced with invasions of the Lombards in Italy and Visigoths in Spain, Justin appointed Tiberius II Constantine as Caesar, who acted as regent from A.D. 574 - 578. These beautiful coins show the - emperor facing frontally, wearing a crown and holding a globe surmounted by Victory. The style is pure Byzantine with lovely abstract elements, such as the minimal lines representing the emperor’s c1ock. The radiant luster of the gold, combined with their ancient elegance, makes these cuff links as unique and remarkable as the person who chooses to wear them. - (FJ.6313)   « Less