Greek jewelry history

Ancient Greek jewelry (jewellery as alternative spelling) spans a period from 2600 BC to 31 BC, including great civilizations and eras such as Minoan Greece, Mycenaean age, Classical Greece and the Hellenistic period. A very diverse amount of styles and techniques were developed over the centuries until the conquest of Greece by the Roman empire.



Most ancient Greek jewelry remaining today has been found in funerary graves due to the ancient Greek belief that the deceased would travel with their jewelry to the afterlife.

Bronze age: Minoan and Mycenaean eras

After the arrival of the Bronze Age in Ancient Greece, craftmen begin to increase the complexity of jewelry designs, eventually creating authentic artisan masterpieces, a reflection of the wealth and power of the ruling aristocracy of the period. Jewelry in ancient Greece was seen as a symbol of power, social status, and in some cases considered protecting amulets against evil spirits.

Ancient Greeks learned the goldsmithing techniques from ancient civilizations such as Egypt and those in Mesopotamia thousands of years ago, and managed to create and maintain their unique style for centuries.

Image of a famous Minoan jewelry masterpiece.

Our reproduction of the Malia bees pendant

The Minoan civilization (2600 - 1400 BC) was a powerful bronze age civilization originated in Crete and Aegean islands. They began using the granulation technique that would adhere small beads of gold or silver in order to create intricate designs on the simple cast jewelry. They learnt a great deal from jewelry makers coming from Syria and Egypt, and their creations often depicted flowers, insects, birds, sea life, snakes and lions.

Lion head cast jewelry in ancient Greek style.

Set picture of our Lion bracelet and lion ring.

During the flourishing period of the Mycenaean civilization (1600 - 1100 BC), Greeks mass-produced jewelry made of gold, silver, bronze and various alloys. They skillfully crafted richly decorated rings, necklaces and pendants with motifs of flowers, humans figures and other complex engravings. After the fall of their great civilization, during the so called Greek Dark Age (1100 - 800 BC), there was a period in Greek history when production dropped to almost zero and practically no artistic examples remain.

Classical Greece

At the time the Greek civilization prospered again during the Classical period (5th-4th centuries BC), also known in European history as the "Golden Age", jewelry making reached a higher level of technology with the development of new techniques. Featured were the refined filigree techniques, high-quality metal casting and the mastery of use of thin golden sheets, as seen on Greek jewelry typical rosettes and laurel wreaths made of gold. Semi-precious and precious stones such as emeralds, pearls and amethysts were very diverse and could be imported from any part of the wold, but it is not until the Romans when the fashion of colorful and distinguished Roman jewelry led to a frenzy demand of those stones.

Greek jewelry typical rosette earrings

Our Roman Earrings with Acorns & Spearheads

Hellenistic Period

The Greece left by Alexander the Great was more affluent than ever, beginning an era known in history as the Hellenistic period (323 - 31 BC). The abundant sources of gold and precious stones from the East influenced the change in styles, more colorful and with new motifs such as figurines of gods, frequently Eros and Nike, figurines of doves and also crescent moon designs. Though the fall of Greece under the control of the Roman Empire in the 2nd century BC had many changes in jewelry making, the strong influence of Christianity during the formation of the Byzantine Empire allowed the revival of Greek jewelry style.

The Youtube video below is an authentic travel in time, including many examples of Hellenistic and other ancient Greek jewelry including dates. A great help to understand all the Greek jewelry facts mentioned before.

Should you be inspired by the fascinating history of ancient Greek jewelry, browse our amazing collection of Greek jewelry for sale and find your own treasure of Greek craftsmanship.