An Historical Tryst with Gold

Gold in Ancient Egypt

In ancient time, gold was the most preferable metal for making jewelry as it was rare, tarnish-resistant, and most important of all, malleable.

Beautiful necklaces, pendants, bracelets, earrings, diadems, head ornaments, pectoral ornaments and collars of gold were carved in Egypt-‘the land of Pharaohs. ‘

Excavations by Howard Carter in 1922 led to the great discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb and many gold funerary artefacts, all showing the art work of ancient Egypt.

Gold in Rome

In the 8^th century B.C., the Italian Etruscans of Tuscany produced gold work in granulated texture. They made large fibulae or clasps, necklaces, bracelets and earrings. They also made pendants that were hollow and could be filled with perfume.

In coinage, the Romans used 18 and 24 carat gold. Being fairly easily available, coinage was the craftsman's raw material for decorative jewel work. Two thousand years ago, the Romans were using sapphires from Sri Lanka, cloudy emeralds, garnets, amber and Indian diamond crystals. When England was under Roman rule, fossilized wood called jet from the North of England was carved into amazing pieces.

The Mysterious Aura of Moonstones

The moonstone is characterized by its unusual play of lights and its charismatic shimmer. This glittering gemstone is chiefly composed of feldspar, which makes up almost 80% of Earth’s rocks. The feldspar variety is called ‘adularia’, a potassium aluminosilicate of gemstone quality, which is also found in the European Alps near the Adula Group – hence the name 'adularia'. Another synonym for moonstone is 'selenite', from the Greek 'selene' ('moon').

The shimmer of moonstones is very unique in the world of gemstones. Gemologists refer to this phenomenon as ‘adularisation’. The cause of it is the lamellar inner construction of the gemstone. Incident light rays are refracted and scattered in the stone. In this way, a unique light effect comes about, and it is this which makes the moonstone so distinctive and so desirable.

However, this amazing gemstone scores low on hardness- only 6 on the Mohs scale. Hence, moonstones should be handled carefully as it can show signs of wear and tear even when used for a long time. Nevertheless, a jeweler can easily remedy the problem with a matt finish polish after which, the stone would shine again as new.