Many grand civilisations inhabited the area of Western Asia in Antiquity, for whose wealth and prosperity is testified by the very sophisticated precious metal crafting of jewellery. Gold jewellery are commonly found in form of necklaces, bracelets, earring, rings, pedants, and brooches. The manufacturing of jewellery would often involve moulding, where the gold is hammered into thin layers and manipulated into different shapes. Graduation is another technique where the surface of the jewellery is embellished with tiny, soldered gold granulates. Inlays of glass and semi-precious stones as well as intricate engravings would have been found on jewellery made of gold and silver. Very fine granulation along with filigree, were at the centre of Near Eastern and Western Asiatic jewellery production and were later adopted by the Greeks, Etruscans and Romans.
To discover more on ancient metalwork, please see our relevant blog post: Decorative Metalwork Techniques
