So, it is best to start this story with Napoleon Bonaparte, more precisely, with the Egyptian Company, undertaken in 1798-1801 on his initiative and under his direct leadership. The main goal of the Egyptian expedition was to attempt to conquer Egypt in order to limit the influence of England, France’s main rival, in the region. The company was unsuccessful for the French army, but had important consequences for science. During the expedition, the Commission of Sciences and Arts worked, which collected and exported to Europe a huge number of historical monuments.
On August 22, 1798, Napoleon signed a decree establishing the Institute of Egypt, consisting of 36 people. One of the results of the Institute’s work was the monumental “Description of Egypt,” which created the preconditions for modern Egyptology. The Rosetta Stone, discovered during the expedition, opened up the possibility of deciphering ancient Egyptian writing. The mysterious and magnificent history of the ancient civilization of Egypt has aroused interest not only in scientific circles. Society was captivated by the fashion for everything Egyptian, from architecture to jewelry.
The first Egyptian-style jewelry, dating back to the 1820s, was inspired by ancient Egyptian symbolism depicted on the walls of Egyptian temples: scarab beetles, sphinxes, pharaohs and hieroglyphs. Images of the pharaoh were often carved on semi-precious stones in the form of a cameo or relief, usually wearing a special headdress made of striped fabric called a nemes.
Of all the objects discovered by archaeologists and treasure hunters in the tombs and burials of Egypt, ancient jewelry was perhaps the most attractive to the public, intriguing for its extravagance and unprecedented symbolism. Many jewelry workshops, such as the company of Karl Bacher (Vienna), specialized in the development of jewelry in the Egyptian style. By the end of the 19th century, when the fashion for jewelry in the archaeological style had practically disappeared, the Egyptian style in jewelry received a new continuation in the Art Nouveau aesthetics.
Howard Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 was greeted with incredible enthusiasm by the public and became the impetus for a new wave of Egyptomania. Jewelry in the Egyptian style of the Art Deco era became one of the most luxurious and magnificent examples of imitation of the jewelry of the kings of Ancient Egypt.
For two centuries now, the charm of the images and symbols of Ancient Egypt has inspired jewelers from different countries to create jewelry in the Egyptian style. Interest in such jewelry changed over time, faded away and was revived again. Such jewelry is also created in our time. After all, every woman sometimes wants to feel like the queen of Egypt.