Roman jewels inherited much from Etruscan and Greek jewelry. However, at the beginning, the Republican spirit of austerity also shaped fashion, therefore jewels were simpler than their Greek counterparts and also less common (the Oppia law of 215 BC forbade women to own more than one once of gold). With the advent of the Empire (end of 1st c. BC), things changed. The production of necklaces, bracelets, earrings and all kinds of jewelry became flourished both in terms of numbers and styles. Having retained the Hellenistic taste for polychromy and colored stones, it became more and more common to insert gems or colored glass. During the 3rd century AD, a new technique, called the opus interrasile was developed. In this technique a design was first picked out by drilling or punching holes through a gold sheet. These holes were then enlarged and improved by means of a small chisel, creating a light and shade play. The two techniques were then merged and continued up to the end of the Empire. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the jewelry designs were absorbed by neighbouring countries and tribes.
The Romans used a diverse range of materials for their jewelry from their extensive resources across the continent. Although they used gold, they sometimes used bronze or bone and in earlier times, glass beads & pearl. As early as 2,000 years ago, they imported Sri Lankan sapphires and Indian diamonds and used emeralds and amber in their jewelry.
Jewels were a sign of social status in Ancient Rome. A good part of the Roman jewels we can still admire come from funerary dowry. This habit, quite unusual in the age of kings, became more and more common as time went by.
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