6 Ancient Jewelry. 



inlaying in the cases of the British Museum which have a 

 suspicious aspect, scarcely compatible with purity of material, 

 but they are the exception to the rule ; and, on the other hand, 

 it is certain that many legitimate uses, of a less pure bat 

 harder gold, were altogether unknown. Thus, there are no 

 joints to earrings, or spring fastenings to any of the ancient 

 ornaments. The earloops are simply the attenuated ends of 

 fine gold wires, which, once passed through the ear, were bent 

 round till they held in their places, to be again straightened, 

 should the earring require to be removed — a thing, it may be 

 presumed, not often done. The bracelets, again, are permanent 

 ornaments, and could scarcely have been removed without the 

 aid of the jeweler. 



No. 3 is a copy of a ring of the Ptolemaic period, and 

 is made of woven wire, from which spring three cast 

 and chased figures of Serapis, Isis, and Horus. Although 

 generally effective, the workmanship of this ring is ex- 

 ceedingly coarse. It may be here remarked that nothing 

 is so general as the introduction of chasing in all Egyptian 

 jewelry, and indeed in all their metal work. There are even 

 frequent examples of attempts at embossing, or repousse work. 

 This chasing, as a rule, is very rude, and consists of little more 

 than outlines, but there are cases in which it is much more 

 finished, and indeed very effective. The claw of a hawk in 

 one of the upper cases of the Mummy Room of the British 

 Museum is an example in point. The earring, No. 4, a relic 

 of Babylon, is one specimen of modelling, casting, and chasing, 

 although by no means one of a high order; and the Assyrian 

 earring, No. 5, discovered by Mr. Layard at Kouyunjik 

 (Nineveh), and which has a pearl at each end, is, no doubt, 

 chased all round, and chased after the present method ; that 

 is to say, by being first filled with bituminous matter, in order 

 to offer a sufficient resistance, and no more, to the blow of the 

 chasing tool and hammer. The bitumen, resin, or gum with 

 which the earring is now filled is probably an after arrange- 

 ment, and in this respect it is similar to the loaded jewelry 

 made even down to the present day in the East Indies. The 

 earloop is conjectural, as the original one is lost. 



The cylinder seal-ring, No. 6, is an admirable example of a 

 type common among the Egyptians, and shows well the very 

 general use among them of thin wire-work. Wire was made to 

 serve as ornaments on plain surfaces in very many cases, and 

 in its then use may fairly be taken as the origin of filagree, 

 to which, in some instances, it bears a resemblance. The 

 great use of wire is. a fact to be noted, for the manufacture of 

 this gold thread is by no means a simple process. It could 

 not have been produced by mere hand labour, and must have 



