Ancient Roman Jewellery.

Essay by gwemma88Junior High, 7th gradeA+, January 2006

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The ancient Romans indeed wore jewellery and lots of it. In some parts of ancient Rome it was considered status as to how many pieces of jewellery worn and how intricate it was.

The wealthy ancient Roman men didn't wear much jewellery. In fact they left it to their wives to display the jewellery on behalf of the family. The men usually only wore bronze or gold rings. One ring worn of the left hand was considered good manners and good taste, though some men disregarded this and wore as many as sixteen rings on one hand! Romans were very superstitious and wore rings that were said to bring luck to the wearer. Some men also wore a bronze device called a frobella which was used to hold their toga (piece of cloth wrapped around the body) together.

On the other hand though, upper-class women wore lots of jewellery and hair pieces.

Women's clothing styles were relatively basic and the fashions didn't change much. Because of this they had to display ornate hair styles and jewellery in order to stand out from the other women. They loved elaborate

necklaces, earrings, pins, bracelets, brooches and rings. They were usually were made out of bronze, silver, gold, glass or stones. Women also wore a gold pin called a fibula. It resembled a modern day safety pin and was usually used to hold clothing together. They were often highly decorated. Pearls were particularly prized and also very costly. As gifts, the Romans often gave each other gold coins, aurei, which had been made in to necklaces, brooches or bracelets. They were mostly given as wedding presents. Women's hair styles varied, but the hair was usually quite long and pinned up on top of the head. It was held up in place by hair...