During the early 19th century, the discoveries of ancient archaeological finds influenced and introduced what is referred to as "Egyptian Revival Jewelry." The first Egyptian Revival period began around the 1820’s, inspired by the unearthing of ancient Egyptian ruins during that time. Images such as the scarab beetle, sphinxes, pharaohs, and hieroglyphics became popular motifs in fashion. Pieces were often crafted using a material known as Egyptian Paste or "faience", which is the oldest form of non-clay glazed ceramic and usually found in a range of blue and green colors.
In the 1920’s, there was another unearthing of treasures, making the trend popular once again. This scarab pendant is from that era—the third Egyptian Revival period. The scarab in this pendant is a cream colored faience bead with grey and brown overtones in its recesses that delineate the shape of the beetle. The surface has a craquelure finish with great visual texture. There are hieroglyphics on the back of the scarab. At the bottom of the scarab is a round 14k gold ball that extends as a wire through the bead and forms a bale at the top.
The pendant measures 1 1/8” from the bottom of the ball to the top of the bale. The scarab measures 3/4” x 1/2”. The bale measures 5 mm. The piece weighs 2.87 grams. The gold is unmarked and acid tests as 14k.
The scarab is in excellent condition for its age and is ready to hang on a chain of your choice. We have other sizes and colors of scarab jewelry available in our shop.
