Brooch
Gold, rubies, garnets and emeralds
Roman period

This exquisite gold brooch set with cabochons of ruby, garnet and emerald attests to the high status enjoyed by its owner as well as her love of beautiful jewelry. The space between the precious stones has been decorated with tiny spheres or grains of gold that have been melted together in a jewelry technique known as granulation. In the middle, a figure who may represent a goddess has been shaped in the gold, probably by embossing. At the time, emeralds like green gems in this brooch were mined in Egypt. The word “garnet” comes from the French grenate, meaning “pomegranate” and shares its color
with this fruit.


Hama 6.5 x 3.6 x 0.9 cm
National Museum, Damascus
2854/5937
Musée national p. 110 et p. 141

_{© Musée de la civilisation, 1999}