People wear jewelry for reasons varying from a desire to be like a person they admire to a need to be ostentatious and noticed. Some people are now choosing to wear jewelry in order to feel a connection to times past. That may explain the recent popularity of Egyptian Jewelry.

The culture of ancient Egypt was rich and diverse and fabulously wealthy. Wealthy Egyptians had the disposable income to adorn themselves in jewelry that reflected their culture and superstitions.

The Egyptians created designs and lines that are unmatched to this very day. They made brilliant use of their abundant natural resources including gold, silver, amethyst, quartz and jasper. They primarily used gold as the foundations for their dramatic designs.

Egyptian jewelry was based primarily on symbolism tied to the rich religious beliefs of their culture. Some examples include the fact that green jade is used to represent fertility. They also made extensive use of the scarab. The scarab represents re-birth and jewelry with a scarab was often placed in the tombs of deceased nobles in order to create the means of their movement back to life.

The ankh is another rich symbol associated with Egyptian jewelry. The ankh is a symbol for life that was and is often represented by a cross with a loop on top. It was tied to the Egyptian gods and is often called the “key of life.”

Another symbol that is often used is the cartouche. The cartouche was referred to as a magical oval. Many times pharaohs would wear an amulet based on a cartouche that had the pharaoh’s name inscribed on it. The rich symbolism afforded by the amulet would guarantee perpetual life for the divine pharaoh. This symbolism is still used by designers today as jewelry connoisseurs often have their name inscribed on their own cartouche.

Another potent symbol is the “flower of life” which consists of using overlapping circles to form a stylized flower. Many Egyptian jewelry designs incorporate the flower of life motif and studies have shown multiple meanings for this symbol.

Some types of Egyptian jewelry worn by the ancients and modern people include bracelets, baubles and rings. Rings based on Egyptian motifs are especially popular today with people expressing a desire for rings adorned with scarabs.

Egyptian jewelry is popular today because consumers can merge the historic with current techniques and personalize their pieces. You cannot ask for a more perfect blend of the past and present and there is no doubt that Egyptian jewelry will continue to be popular as people desire more meaning from their jewelry purchases.