We get much of our picture of jewellery from ancient Egyptian art, both carved and painted, but our major source of information is the jewellery itself, of which a surprising amount has survived. The ancient Egyptians buried their dead with items from life to be of use to them in the next life, so most extant pieces of jewellery come from burials.

However, few Egyptian burials have been found undisturbed, robberies frequently taking place soon after the interment, so much has been lost. To the general public, the tomb of Tutankhamun is the best-known example of a royal burial. Although more than two hundred pieces of jewellery were recovered from the tomb, it was robbed twice in antiquity, and it has been estimated that over sixty percent of those pieces not hidden within the mummy wrappings were stolen.

It was not only pharaohs who were buried in elaborate tombs; other members of the royal family, nobles and even lesser individuals might also be furnished with a tomb.

One of the most beautiful pieces of jewellery shown in the talk was the pectoral or chest ornament, and necklace from the burial of Princess Sithathoriunet, discovered by Sir William Flinders Petrie and Guy Brunton in 1914. Brunton’s artist wife Winifred (née Newberry) produced a number of paintings based on the archaeology, which show the jewellery as it would have been worn. She was also a trained archaeologist, as was Petrie’s wife Hilda. The pendant and necklace contain carnelian, lapis lazuli, turquoise, garnet and feldspar, the ancient  Egyptians valuing semi-precious stones for their colour, which had symbolic significance, rather than for any refractive qualities. These were frequently copied in cheaper materials such as glass and glazed composition (Egyptian faience).