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Use of the Scarab in jewelry or ornamentation
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Scarab Heart AmuletAs mentioned above, it was common practice to burry scarab pendants with the dead. A common one to use was the "Heart Scarab" which was a pendant fashioned to represent the person's heart in life which is weighed by Osiris against his feather of truth to see if the person lived a honorable life and was permitted into the next (2). The undersides usually had some spells carved in from Chapter 30B from the Book of the Dead, or other merits the person may have achieved in life (2). This pendant was always placed above the mummy's heart while being wrapped in cloth.
Photo Credit: Britannica |
Scarabs in Ornate JewelryEgyptians often fancied wearing or carrying amulets around with them, much like people wear a cross, except these typically had spells or sayings of good fortune engraved on the back. To the right is a large pendant that was worn by a male and usually landed on the breast plate (3). Below is another neck piece worn by males with other ornamentation of snakes, wings and scarabs (3). This piece would be draped over the shoulders to cover both back and front of the body with the wings landing between the shoulder blades. To the right is a ring with a scarab on it, some rings would be fashioned to have one's names and titles inscribed on the underside (3).
Photo Credits: realhistoryww.com |
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Modern JewelryThe use of scarabs in jewelry is still common but mostly for its mimicry of ancient Egyptian jewelry. Today we use more precious stones and metals to fashion our scarab pendants (9). To the Right is a bracelet with delicate scarab charm. Below is a link to the most popular items of Etsy for scarab inspired jewelry.
Photo Credit: Peter Suchy Jewelers |