Roman Jewellery

The Romans loved to wear jewellery, especially ladies. It was usually made of gold, silver, pearls, and coloured stones. On this page you can see some photos of actual Roman necklaces, cameos, and earrings, now in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. To see bracelets like the snake armband, click here.

Cameos were popular with the Romans and are still worn today. They were made by carving in very fine detail on a piece of multicoloured stone, like sardonyx. The artist made sure the picture was in one colour (usually white) while the background was a layer of the stone in a different colour (like brown).

Glass ring, Caerleon Museum

necklaces of gold and stones (the green ones are emeralds)

 gold 'crescent' necklace - these were very popular

gold earring with garnet stones (can you see the dolphins?)

gold earring with pearls

Gold necklace with various stones, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

Various bracelets, Roman Baths Museum, Bath

Gold earrings, Ashmolean

Pearl and emerald earrings, Ashmolean

Gold, emerald, garnet earrings, Ashmolean

Crescent pendant, bronze and enamel, Caerleon Museum

Cameo of lady riding a chariot (all these cameos are in the Metropolitan Museum, New York)

cameo showing the emperor Augustus