Amulets of this type, or ‘lunulae’, were pieces of jewellery modelled in the shape of a crescent moon worn by girls in Ancient Rome, as an apotropaic amulet to protect themselves against the evil and to attract good fortune. Lunar motives became extremely popular in Roman jewellery across all the territories of the Roman Empire. The Roman goddess Luna, also known as Selene in Greek, was said to have embodied the essense of the moon. Luna’s main attributes are the crescent moon and two-yoke chariot (biga). Her counter part is her brother the God Sol, one guarding the day and the other guarding the night. Only when there was an eclipse, the two deities could see each other. Luna was thought to help with fertility and childbirth, she was also a symbol for femininity.
To find out more about different metal decorative techniques please see our relevant blog post: Decorative Metalwork Techniques
