100 years after King Tut’s discovery, ancient Egypt inspires new wave of jewellery design

In November 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter made one of the most exciting discoveries of the modern era when he opened the tomb of the young King Tutankhamen, to find that all its precious 3,200-year-old treasure lay intact within. Now, a century later, those treasures along with others spanning 7,000 years of human history are being displayed together in the new six-storey Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, Egypt. Wandering around the museum, Egyptian jewellery designers, Amina Ghali and her mother Azza Fahmy, were incredulous at the quality of Egyptian goldsmithing thousands of years ago. “It is honestly mind-blowing,” exclaims Ghali. Particularly astonishing is the gold mask of Tutankhamen. “It was created using casting, yet when you walk around it, you won’t find a single solder line. My mother and I think, ‘How were they able to do that thousands of years ago?’ Even today, achieving something that seamless would be extremely difficult.” Many techniques pioneered by the ancients are still used in jewellery today, from engraving, repoussé (a type of ornamentation) and casting, to stone setting, wire work and beading. Some of their motifs – scarabs, cobras, hieroglyphs – and ornamental stones like lapis are as appealing to modern consumers as they were to those thousands of years ago. Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier were just two of the jewellery maisons to capitalise on the fascination for Egypt in the 1920s just after the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb. The decoration of his tomb was creative dynamite for many French designers, ushering in an era of “Egyptomania” in jewellery design that was also assimilated into art deco, with figures depicted in onyx and diamonds. A century later, the opening of the museum is expected to spark a new wave of demand. Fahmy is perfectly poised for this, having opened a boutique in the museum. “Ancient Egypt has always been a major source of inspiration for us,” explains Ghali, head designer of her mother’s brand. “My mother and I travel to Luxor [in Egypt] every year, spending days in the temples studying the carvings, proportions and symbolism up close. These trips are incredibly grounding, allowing us to reconnect with the source and understand the stories behind these symbols.” The women’s latest collection is centred on the scarab, which represents renewal and protection: “a beautiful reminder of transformation and new beginnings, and the spirit we wanted to bring into the pieces”, Ghali says. Such symbolism has made the scarab a popular jewellery motif through the ages, from Cartier in the 1920s, to jewellers like Bibi van der Velden, Jacquie Aiche and Lito Karakostanoglou today. “It is true that ancient cultures have always inspired my work, especially the meaning embedded in their symbols,” explains Athens-based Karakostanoglou. The scarab and Eye of Horus feature in her latest pieces. “As I am reinterpreting those symbols, I believe giving them a modern twist is necessary for today’s aesthetic and to make talismans you can wear every day,” she says. Aiche, who is based in Los Angeles, shares a similar belief in the energy and spiritual significance of ancient symbols. “I love creating pieces that honour the mysticism of tradition – talismans that inspire protection and connection, reminding us that there is something sacred in everyone and everything,” she says. Her work features scarabs, the ankh (a hieroglyphic symbol also called the “key of life”), the goddess Isis and cartouche (a type of hieroglyph) pendant charms. The Egyptians weren’t just making jewellery: it was art, protection, identity all at once Jeremy Morris, David Morris The scarab is a core collection for Dutch jeweller van der Velden, originally produced a decade and a half ago in bunch earrings that featured the sustainably sourced, iridescent blue-green wings of a beetle that is a delicacy in Asia. Recent designs include cocktail rings carved in ornamental materials like malachite and ebony. Separately, the distinctive beetle silhouette is carved in rock crystal pendants and rings to protect and magnify tiny little ushabti (funerary figure) amulets inside. “My kids are obsessed with Egyptian history, and so it was fun to have that conversation when you’re busy working on a subject,” van der Velden says. “I bought these 1,500-year-old bronze ushabti at auction. Thousands were placed in tombs with pharaohs and high-ranking officials.” The ancient Egyptians pioneered other innovations like coloured materials, inventing glass and faience (turquoise glazed ceramic), which have long fascinated Jeremy Morris, CEO and creative director of Bond Street jeweller David Morris. Inspired by the Tutankhamen exhibition in London in 2020 for his Asiyah collection of coloured ceramic and diamonds, he wanted to draw on “the ancient Egyptian techniques, while giving the pieces a modern edge”, he says. “Seeing those [Tutankhamen] pieces up close was incredible – the colours, the artistry, the inventiveness,” Morris recalls. “The Egyptians weren’t just making jewellery: it was art, protection, identity all at once.” Elsewhere, London jeweller Rachel Boston had recently launched her Lineage collection, inspired by the Egyptian use of spiralled gold wire. With onyx and diamonds, Satta Matturi, also London-based, gives an art deco twist to her Nubian-inspired collection – the Nubians (an ancient African civilisation) being allies and sometime rivals of the Egyptians. Fascinated since childhood by Egypt, Sarah Ysabel Narici, founder of Dyne in New York, loves the tension in her work, she says, “between ancient history and the future, and the ability to tell stories of humanity through jewellery”. Her bespoke Loverglyph rings take the concept of hieroglyphs, but use a combination of talismanic and modern symbols to tell the story of the wearer. Based between Paris and Cairo, Farah Radwan, who last year won the Fashion Trust Arabia jewellery prize for her brand FYR Jewelry, gives an ultra-modern twist to her heritage-inspired jewellery by adding punk elements. “Pharaonic inspiration flows through my work in both subtle and modern ways,” she says. Her intriguing creations include lockets inspired by amulet boxes, necklaces adorned with the ankh, and spiky sceptre-shaped earrings. “Egyptians and international audiences are excited to explore more modernised interpretations of ancient Pharaonic jewellery,” Radwan notes. Her work will be showcased in the museum’s concept store, allowing visitors to discover a new type of Egyptian jewellery. “With all the publicity around the Grand Egyptian Museum, what’s really exciting for us Egyptian designers is the exposure it brings – not just internationally, but locally as well.”

100 years after King Tut’s discovery, ancient Egypt inspires new wave of jewellery design

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The opening of Giza’s Grand Egyptian Museum is sparking renewed interest in ancient motifs from brands like Azza Fahmy and Bibi van der Velden

The opening of Giza’s Grand Egyptian Museum is sparking renewed interest in ancient motifs from brands like Azza Fahmy and Bibi van der Velden