Many grand civilizations inhabited the area of Western Asia in Antiquity, and their wealth and prosperity are witnessed by the very sophisticated precious metal crafting of jewellery. Different metals could be hammered down to a thin layer and manipulated into a variety of forms and shapes. Gold, silver, and electrum jewellery would have featured granules, glass and semi-precious stone inlays and detailed engravings. Very fine granulation, as we can see on this item, 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 about gemstones in Antiquity, please visit our relevant blog post: The History and Mythology of Jewellery in Antiquity.
