Some 500 years before Tutankhamun was buried with jewellery that would become renowned worldwide, the artisans of the Middle Kingdom created refined and elegant pieces. These are beautiful examples of adornment, but besides that, they also tell us about the world their wearers lived in. Jewellery in that respect is a historic source. We will have a look at royal jewellery created during the twelfth dynasty.
To describe the topsy-turvy state of affairs after the end of the Old Kingdom, a man named Ipuwer lamented that “gold, lapis lazuli, silver and turquoise, carnelian, amethyst […] were fastened around the neck of slave women”. In these lines, Ipuwer mentions the three main colours of the ancient Egyptian colour palette in jewellery. This colour scheme of light blue, dark blue, and red, mixed with gold, is very characteristic of Egyptian jewellery and carries a deeper significance.
Egyptian colour schemes and their meanings
Gold, a staple of Egyptian jewellery, was mined in southern Egypt and Sudan. During the Middle. As gold did not tarnish, it was believed to be equivalent to the flesh of the immortal gods and to represent eternal life.
