Thursday, January 22, 2015

What You Need To Know About Buying Egyptian Cartouche Jewelry

By Janine Hughes


Ethnic and historically significant jewelry is becoming more popular these days. Many people are choosing to wear items that reflect their origins or heritage. For some people, they do not realize that pieces such as Egyptian cartouche jewelry actually have meaning beyond a cultural connection. Here is what you need to know about these pieces. It will give you the ability to choose the right items that you can wear with pride and enjoyment.

Most ancient civilizations had a written language of some sort. Some were more complex than others. Different civilizations had differing amounts of written materials that they left behind. In the case of ancient Egypt, there were massive amounts of written materials for historians to look over. The problem was that the symbols, known as hieroglyphics, were totally different than any written language system that historians were familiar with. Then, a break came and the secret meaning of the symbols was unleashed. It was no wonder that shortly after, even non-historians became interested and began to want to know more about Egyptian written language.

In many cases, there were areas where symbols were encased by ovals. These oval shapes usually had a straight line drawn at one end. It was surprising for historians to learn that the shape, known as a cartouche, was used to enclose a name. Most were the names of royalty but other formal names of important people were also enclosed by these oval shapes.

Once historians knew what the symbols meant, it wasn't long before ordinary people were wanting to play around with them. They wanted to translate their own names, or other details into the Egyptian symbols. And ultimately, they wanted to find ways to use the symbols on pieces of jewelry. Shortly thereafter, cartouche pieces began to be found in more and more locations.

If you want to find and purchase one of these beautiful pieces there are a few things to consider. This will help you get a quality product that you will be happy to wear for years to come. It may seem frustrating to have to do some research and background checking but if you do, you stand a better chance of being happy with the finished product.

With any foreign language, it can be difficult to make sure you are getting words spelled properly or laid out correctly. It makes it even more difficult when you are dealing with a system that is made up entirely of symbols. It took years of research and experimentation before the first translations were made. By working with a reputable website or book you have a better chance of getting the right symbols that have the meaning you are looking for.

It's always important when buying precious metal pieces online that you deal with sites that have a good reputation. You want to make sure that you are getting the metal purity you pay for. Just remember that if gold is more pure, it is more expensive. Unfortunately, it also means that it is softer as well and may not be as suitable for making pieces like these jewelry pieces.

Taking the time to do your research is a good thing where these pieces are concerned. Check out websites on ancient Egypt, especially those that feature hieroglyphic alphabets. Many museums and reputable academic websites will have this information available online. That way you can make sure that you are choosing the right symbols to be inside your cartouche. You can then wear your piece with pride for years to come.




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