Necklaces

and

Amulets

Necklaces and amulets were worn by most Egyptians. Egyptians loved jewellery, which showed up well on their white linen clothes. But they also wore amulets for magical reasons - for protection, luck, beauty, and other good things. 

Three gold pendants are shown here. On the left is an ankh. Ankh means life, and so the amulet helped you stay alive. The middle pendant is a figure of Osiris, the god of the afterlife.

Osiris was also the god of fertility, so the amulet could bring you luck with your crops, or in getting into heaven.

Some of the stones used for the beads were: lapis lazuli, carnelian, turquoise, jasper, quartz, coral, and amethyst.

Eye of Horus

Horus was the sky god who took shape as a falcon. According to a myth, he had a fight with his uncle Seth, who had killed his father Osiris. Seth tore out his eye, but his mother Isis healed it. The eye of Horus became a symbol for wholeness and healing. It was a very popular amulet, worn like this, or on rings, on bracelets, or just about anything.

Above and below: necklaces in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

This is the original necklace which I copied. It shows a string of gold beads shaped like the hieroglyph nefer - Nefer means beautiful, or good, or happy. Therefore, wearing a necklace like this would magically make you beautiful, or happy, or bring good things to you.

Below is a similar necklace in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.