Egyptian Revival

The Egyptian Revival period probably first began in the late 1700 after Napoleon's campaigns in Egypt and the  occupation by the British. The Europeans were taken with ancient Egyptian designs and began using them to adorn any number of items. Egyptian symbols, scarabs, sphinx, Pharaohs, gryphons and the lotus, often with gilding were used in modern forms to create a style referred to as Egyptian Revival.

The archaeological digs in the 1800's renewed interest in ancient Egyptian culture and the Victorians began using these motifs in jewelry even to the point of using real scarab beetles with gold settings.  When King Tut's tomb was discovered in the 1920's, Egyptian design met with Art Deco.  In the 1970 the treasures of King Tut came to American and the fascination began again, inspiring jewelry designers to create designs such as these.

Here are some of my favorite Pieces of Egyptian Revival Jewelry.