Ancient Greek jewelry commonly consisted of gold beads beautifully shaped like shells, flowers and even beetles. The fascination for jewelry in ancient Greece is quite evident from the excavations of beautiful necklaces and earrings from various sites, especially in the northern part of Greece.

The Greeks were great enthusiasts of jewelry and wore both simple as well as complex pieces. For making their jewelry items exclusive, the Greeks mostly used gemstones, the common ones being - emeralds, garnets, pearls and amethysts. The Greek craftsmen also created colored glass stones and enamel stones.

Complemented wonderfully well with images of the Greek Gods like - Eros, Nike, Artemis, and Aphrodite, all pieces of ancient Greek jewelry were explicitly unique. Some excellent jewelry pieces, made of beads, were in the shape of animals too. Pendant earrings bejeweled with Nike, Eros or dove figurines became an accepted fashion statement of those times.

Ornamental pendants, shaped like the classic Greek two-handled vase, were decorated with enamel or gemstones; these wonderful pendants were hung by a rosette. Not just pendants, chains were popular also. Spherical or wide chains of gold were worn as necklaces, with clasps of animal heads or dolphins. The superbly crafted Greek gold rings were set with gemstones.

The Greeks liked wearing gold wreaths as decorative headdresses, ornately adorned with flowers, acorns, foliage or images. With jewelry designs and techniques becoming advanced, the Greeks made a laurel headdress to be worn as a crown of honor. It represented Apollo, the god of divination and intelligence.

From its wide popularity in adorning ancient Greek jewelry to the modern times, the purple richness of amethyst has made it the most loved gemstone for decorating unique jewelry pieces. This purple gemstone has also been very much sought-after by people in authoritative positions. It was believed that amethyst symbolized the spirit of God.

The ideas of designing ancient Greek were countless. Studding with gemstones, outlining with borders, creating rippled designs, and other such innovations definitely added a creative touch to the Greek jewelry. Most of the magnificent necklace pieces often became the center of attention, adored and appreciated by one and all.

The unique Greek cross jewelry has gained a lot of appreciation and admiration by people all over the world. Its simple designs, or even plain looks, have made it a flexible jewelry item, suitable for any occasion. Jewelry lovers like flaunting the Greek cross on anklets, charm bracelets, or as earrings. In fact, the simplicity of the Greek jewelry does not, in any way, take the attention away from the rest of the costume. Instead, the beauty of Greek jewelry lies in the fact that it can perfectly complement any attire.

Ancient Greek jewelry pieces are often imitated to meet the needs of the present day, making fashionable jewelry items for everyday as well as occasional use. You can wear the Greek cross as a pendant, as earrings, or as a bracelet. The next time around you go in to buy special jewelry, look for ancient Greek jewelry designs, which are simple yet elegant enough to blend according to the minimal jewelry look of the modern times!
http://www.ancientgreekcostume.org

Christopher Schwebius is an entrepreneur who seeks out sharply defined, specifically focused topics to research. Upon finishing his research he provides relevant, un-biased information to his readers based on his discoveries and/or personal experiences.
One of his latest ongoing projects can be viewed at http://www.ancientgreekcostume.org

More Ancient Traditions...

Aztec Traditions

Byzantine Traditions

Chinese Traditions

Egyptian Traditions

Etruscan Traditions

Greek Traditions

Inca Traditions

Roman Traditions

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

Viking Traditions