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Jewelry Gemstone Engraving History
The Origins of Gemstone Engraving
The roots of gemstone engraving (also known as glyptics or glyptography, from the Greek glyptikós for “engraving”) can be traced to the 7th millennium BCE. The Babylonians initially used soft stones such as serpentine, steatite (a type of talc), lapis lazuli, turquoise, and a material called naxium (now known as emery). Stones engraved with signs and symbols soon became popular as amulets or stones for signet rings. The Babylonians also created engraved cylindrical stones that could be used as rolling stamps on wax to seal important documents. According to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, every Babylonian wore a signet ring or rolling stamp around their necks. Many, many of these gemstone engravings have been preserved.
The use of carved signet rings and cylinders spread across the Ancient Near East. The Anthropological Museum in Berlin contains Egyptian mummies with signet rings still on their fingers. The impressions made with the symbols cut deep into these stones could uphold ownership and make documents legally binding.
Helena Lambert
International Gem Society
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