The scarab beetle was an exceedingly popular symbol in the art of Ancient Egypt, thought to represent the sun god, Ra. The Ancient Egyptians believed that the scarab beetle rolling its ball of dung across the desert mirrored the journey of the sun across the sky from day to night. As the beetle laid its eggs within the dung, it became a symbol of rebirth and regeneration. These scarab beetle amulets were made in various forms, such as heart scarabs, commemorative scarabs, and scarab amulets, thus catering to different functions. Scarab amulets were believed to have magical rejuvenating properties, used by both the living and the dead.
The examples of amethyst in Ancient Egyptian jewellery and amulets can be found as early as 3000 BC, during the Early Dynastic Period. The beautiful colour of the amethyst stone provided the ancients with a rarer natural source of the colour purple. It was believed that the stone had protective properties against evil. The Egyptians would have sourced their amethyst from Nubia, a province of Egypt, and the stone was a firm favourite among the pharaohs.
