During The Roman Empire jewellery became quickly a fundamental and essential social display of wealth. Following the spread of the Roman Empire, Roman jewellery became more and more elaborate in the designs and in the materials used. Semi-precious gemstones, such as garnet and pearls, were used to enrich and gold was favoured by the elite. Roman gold jewellery was made primarily of a high carat gold, close to 24 carats. The high grading and purity of the gold provides the vibrant colour and texture familiar to ancient jewellery.
To find out more about ancient jewellery please see our relevant blog post: The History and Mythology of Gemstones in Ancient Jewellery.