February 20, 2022
Her name was Nefertari
Did you know that in Ancient Egypt, Silver was considered much more valuable than gold?
I know It’s hard to believe as gold is worth much more than silver in the 21st century however Ancient Egypt was a literal gold mine! Gold was worn by queens, pharoahs and those of political power. You can see this in most ancient artwork, engraved on walls, tombs and sculptures scattered all around The ancient city.— However there was one queen, one that stood among the great queens of Egypt, who was believed to be wearing Sterling Silver earrings.
Her name was Nefertari - Nefetari was an Egyptian queen and the first of the great royal wives of Ramsses the Great. She was highly educated and able to both read and write hieroglyphs, a very rare skill as only men were taught how to read and write at the time. She used these skills in her diplomatic work and created friendships with other ancient cities outside of Egypt.
When archeologists noticed the silver earrings Nefetari wore, they realised that due to the type of metal and design, it was not Egyptian. The famous silver earrings had a ‘Labrys’ design, which is a double faced axe that originated from Ancient Greece.
Historians argue that as silver was only found in the medeiteranian at the time, the earrings were an important piece of evidence. They believe that the earrings were gifted to Nefertari in the rise of trade outside of Ancient Egypt. This was a big deal, as for centuries Ancient Egyptians mostly relied on their own resources. From this you can see just how influential this woman was as she was known by so many ancient cities outside of Egypt and strengthened Egypts economy through trade.
Unfortunately Nefertaris tomb was raided of most of it’s treasures, including her remains before it was officially discovered by archaeologists. The famous silver earrings she was believed to have worn everyday, were never found.
There are so many stories hidden in jewellery, what they represent, how they were made and what it’s made from.
Where do you think the famous silver earrings are now? Let me know below!
With love, your jewellery historian, T xx
I know It’s hard to believe as gold is worth much more than silver in the 21st century however Ancient Egypt was a literal gold mine! Gold was worn by queens, pharoahs and those of political power. You can see this in most ancient artwork, engraved on walls, tombs and sculptures scattered all around The ancient city.— However there was one queen, one that stood among the great queens of Egypt, who was believed to be wearing Sterling Silver earrings.
Her name was Nefertari - Nefetari was an Egyptian queen and the first of the great royal wives of Ramsses the Great. She was highly educated and able to both read and write hieroglyphs, a very rare skill as only men were taught how to read and write at the time. She used these skills in her diplomatic work and created friendships with other ancient cities outside of Egypt.
When archeologists noticed the silver earrings Nefetari wore, they realised that due to the type of metal and design, it was not Egyptian. The famous silver earrings had a ‘Labrys’ design, which is a double faced axe that originated from Ancient Greece.
Historians argue that as silver was only found in the medeiteranian at the time, the earrings were an important piece of evidence. They believe that the earrings were gifted to Nefertari in the rise of trade outside of Ancient Egypt. This was a big deal, as for centuries Ancient Egyptians mostly relied on their own resources. From this you can see just how influential this woman was as she was known by so many ancient cities outside of Egypt and strengthened Egypts economy through trade.
Unfortunately Nefertaris tomb was raided of most of it’s treasures, including her remains before it was officially discovered by archaeologists. The famous silver earrings she was believed to have worn everyday, were never found.
There are so many stories hidden in jewellery, what they represent, how they were made and what it’s made from.
Where do you think the famous silver earrings are now? Let me know below!
With love, your jewellery historian, T xx