The ancient Romans considered jewellery to be an essential accessory, for it provided a public display of their wealth. Glass elements in jewellery such as beads, cameos and intaglios were created to imitate semi-precious gemstones like crystals, carnelian and sapphire. Roman jewellery at first followed the trends of Etruscans, adopting gold and glass beads. However, their jewellery designs became more elaborate as the power and spread of the Roman Empire increased. Different cultural styles from Greece, Egypt, North Africa, and the Orient were all incorporated to reflect Rome’s prosperity as a dominant, conquering city.
To find out more about Roman glass please see our relevant blog posts: Ancient Glass and Collecting Roman Glass
