The Roman glass industry developed to full maturity during the first half of the first century, and it was not long before glassmakers lent their talents to jewellery production. Mixing quartz, soda ash and limestone together, the craftsman would heat this mixture before adding metal oxides to colour their creation. In this instance, cobalt was likely used to provide a dark blue hue to this necklace’s beads, before the molten glass was wound around the tip of a rod (mandrel) to form the bead (a process known as core-forming).
The Etruscans were the first to employ the use of gold and glass beads, and the Romans were quick to follow, creating increasingly elaborate designs. These glass creations offered the lower social classes a cheaper alternative to those gold and silver pieces worn by the wealthy Roman elite, allowing their wearer to partake in conspicuous consumption and construct a carefully crafted public image.