Scorpion Necklace (and other Roman Jewellery)

The scorpion necklace is based on a necklace worn by the Praetorian Guard. These were soldiers with the special job of protecting the emperor. Their symbol was the scorpion, from the astrological sign of the emperor Tiberius, scorpio.

You can sometimes see the scorpion on the shields used by the Praetorian Guard on sculptures. The picture right shows a copy of this kind of shield, and a copy of the scorpion necklace made by Westair Reproductions.

The picture below is a carving of four Praetorian Guards.

Roman Jewellery

The Romans loved to wear jewellery, especially ladies. It was usually made of gold, silver, pearls, and coloured stones. On this page you can see some photos of actual Roman necklaces, cameos, and earrings, now in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. To see bracelets like the snake armband, click here.

Cameos were popular with the Romans and are still worn today. They were made by carving in very fine detail on a piece of multicoloured stone, like sardonyx. The artist made sure the picture was in one colour (usually white) while the background was a layer of the stone in a different colour (like brown).

necklaces of gold and stones

 gold 'crescent' necklace - these were very popular

gold earring with garnet stones (can you see the dolphins?)

gold earring with pearls

cameo of lady riding a chariot

cameo showing the emperor Augustus