Egyptian Faience Bead and Petal Amulet Necklace

New Kingdom Period to Late Period, c. 1070 BC – 600 BC, Naukratis, Egypt

An exceptional ancient Egyptian necklace, restrung for preservation, composed of luminous faience beads in a refined arrangement of long turquoise tubular beads interspaced with smaller spherical beads. The design is further enriched with blue petal amulets, now fragmented, which once heightened the piece’s symbolic and decorative impact.

Faience—crafted from crushed quartz coated with a gleaming alkaline glaze—was one of Egypt’s most celebrated materials. Its vibrant hues of blue and turquoise evoked fertility, rebirth, and eternal brilliance, qualities that made such jewelry both protective and deeply symbolic. To the ancient Egyptians, necklaces like this were not mere adornment but powerful amulets, conferring protection in life and the afterlife.

Originating from Naukratis, a key Egyptian-Greek trading center, this necklace reflects both the technical mastery of Egyptian artisans and the enduring appeal of their symbolic artistry. Its shimmering tones recall prized stones such as turquoise and lapis lazuli, while its form embodies the elegance of Egyptian jewelry-making across millennia.

A rare survival of timeless beauty and meaning, this piece stands as a testament to the spiritual and artistic sophistication of ancient Egypt.

Good condition. Heavy surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age, nicks and chips, with encrusted patina. Discolouration and minor earthly encrustations. Length approx. 53,0cm

Provenance: From an old Dutch private collection, acquired in Egypt during the 1920s.

For a similar examples see:

Necklace, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession Number: 15.3.470 (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/557476)

Bead, The British Museum, Accession Number: EA87240 (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA87240)

Bead Necklace with a Heart Amulet Pendant, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, Accession Number: 51.1032 (https://www.mfab.hu/artworks/18889/)

References and further reading:

Egyptian Faiance: Technology and Production, Carolyn Riccardelli, Department of Objects Conservation, December 2017, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Ancient Technology: Faiance Beads in the Garstang Museum, Garstang Museum of Archaeology.

Gifts of the Nile: Ancient Egyptian Faience, Florence Dunn Friedman (ed.), London: Thames and Hudson, 1998