Byzantine Jewelry

While this SCAdian's clothes/brocade patterns are from throughout the centuries of the Byzantine empire, most of this SCAdian's jewelry interests fall into Late Antiquity (which has been defined differently by numerous historians as covering various ranges of years for different historical reasons). This SCAdian wears and makes Byzantine jewelry from the end of Classical Antiquity to the start of the Middle Ages, dating from 3rd century to the 7th/8th centuries with particular interest in 5th/6th century (the beginning of the Early Middle Ages) jewelry that existed when her Persona could have lived. This period of time can be separated into a few chapters: 1) Late Roman before Byzantium (3rd century), 2) Late Roman and end of the Western Empire (4th & 5th centuries), 3) Byzantium in its prime (6th & 7th centuries, particularly the Justinian Dynasty from 518-565 AD), and 4) the Migration-era (also 6th & 7th centuries). The first Iconoclasm began its practice around 717 AD during the rule of Emperor Leo III with official policies finally being passed during the reign of Constantine V, claiming worship of religious imagery to be heresy and banning the making or worship of religious imagery altogether. These changes in iconography dramatically changed jewelry styles in the late 7th century/early 8th century as a result.

Gallo-Roman funerary stele with commercial scene "Jeweler's  Store" from the Museum of Roman  Civilization.

Margaritarii (Latin), or μαργαριτάρι (Greek), were the names of the merchants who specialized in pearls, though the name could be "used for anyone connected to the gym including divers/pearl fishermen, exporters, jewelers, pearl-setters, and the guards who protected the precious stones." Pearls were worn as earrings, necklaces with multiple strands, crowns, hair combs, sewn into dresses, and sewn into straps on boots and sandals. Earrings of this period were "often so large and heavy that the purpose of a female hairdresser, known as an auricula ornatrix, was to treat earlobes injured or infected by the earrings. 

Pearls were highly prized. Historian Suetonius once wrote that first-century Roman general Vitellius "financed an entire military campaign by selling just one of his mother's pearl earrings." 

Pompeii Antiques by Ettore Forti, 1897.

Satirical Roman writer Martial once described a woman named Gellia who "swears, not by... our gods or goddesses, but by her pearls," when remarking upon the allure of pearls to imperial Rome. Rome's love for pearls began after Pompey the Great's military campaigns in Asia Minor and Armenia from 66-63 BC. His cortege upon returning to Rome in 61 BC included a viewing of 33 pearl-encrusted crowns, a shrine decorated in pearls, and a portrait of the general made entirely of pearls! Upon seeing the portrait, Pliny the Elder stated "To think that it is of pearls, Great Pompey, those wasteful things meant only for women . . . which you yourself cannot and must not wear, that your portrait is made!"

Pliny the Elder also wrote of pearls in womens fashion, "it is not sufficient for them to wear pearls, but they must trampe and walk over them... the women wore pearls even in the still hours of the night, so that in their sleep they might be conscious of possessing the beautiful gems."

Ceiling fresco (painting)  from the Imperial Palace of Constantine (now presently the Trier Cathedral Museum),  4th century. 

Even the statues of the time reflected the Romans’ fondness for bejeweled earlobes. The “Venus de’ Medici,” a sculpture from the first century B.C. of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, has pierced ears.

Pliny the Elder was not the only philosopher that had a distaste for pearls. Roman philosopher Seneca also criticized the pretention of pearl earrings. "[T]he lobes of our ladies have attained a special capacity for supporting a great number. Two pearls alongside of each other, with a third suspended above, now form a single earring! The crazy fools seem to think that their husbands are not sufficiently tormented unless they wear the value of an inheritance in each ear!"

Information from Museums, Books, & Other Readings:

After getting to see several Byzantine exhibits and collections from several museums, this SCAdian decided to start documenting the information she saw for her own SCA experiences. The notes below include information from the MET's "Greek & Roman Art" collection, "The Good Life: Collecting Late Antique Art" exhibition on display through January 7th 2024, "Africa & Byzantium" exhibition from November 2023-March 2024, "Arms and Armor" collection, a ""Hoard of Gold Jewelry from Egypt," the Dumbarton Oaks Museum, and many many more online sources for more details acquired from the blurbs describing the items at the museums:

Ecclesial Imagery in Jewelry: 

"As Christianity became the dominant religion in Byzantine society, Christian imagery was increasingly found on jewelry. Crosses appear by the fifth century; the Virgin Mary, saints, angels, and other holy figures became popular in the sixth century. The images were thought to protect the wearer, aid in prayers, and even perform miracles." 

Wearing ecclesial imagery is not strictly limited to silk textiles and embroidery in Byzantium. Biblical references could be seen in metalworks and intaglios of jewelry. Peacocks were adopted to be the emblem of the Resurrection and eternal life of Christ as it was ancient belief that dead peacocks did not rot, and the colourful display in peacock feathers served as a metaphor of majesty. Peacocks can be seen throughout Byzantine paintings and mosaics. The symbolism of the peacock representing Christ is not limited to Byzantium. An example would be the peacock sitting on display in the Book of Kells, a Celtic illuminated manuscript containing the four Gospels of the New Testament believed to have originated in 800 AD located at the Trinity College Library of Dublin, Ireland. 

Metalwork:

A common Byzantine metalwork practice called opus interrasile would pierce elegant patterns into sheets of gold as seen in the cross to the right. Another common form of metalwork is seen in the rams’ head clasps worked in repoussé, where a malleable metal is shaped by hammering a relief (protruding/raised design) into the reverse side.  (a type of filigree, a work of fine wire formed into delicate tracery). Byzantine metalwork also included cloisonné enameling, a technique of decorating metalwork with coloured material held in place or separated by metal strips of wire from the 6th-12th century AD. Engraved metalwork could be filled with a niello inlay, a black compound made of sulfur with silver, lead, or copper, to highlight the engraved features.

Metalworking techniques include the idea of playing with lights and shadows, adding texture and depth to jewelry. Pierced openwork was conducted via 6 different techniques over the centuries (see graphs below under Openwork Jewelry), allowing gold to have a shiny surface, reflect light on the angled metal from the incisions, and highlight the pierced patterns through the openings. Different techniques were used over time to make metalworking easier on the artist and allowing them to waste less product while also making the item cheaper to the buyer as later techniques used thinner pieces of gold.

Byzantine Chains:

While the "Viking Knit" (or Trichinopoly) chain work was more commonly known in the 8th-9th centuries by the Viking Age Norse, similar wire weaving can be found in Greece, Rome, and Byzantium as early as the 1st century BC. Such an example can be seen can be seen in the top right image, the same image with the rams' head clasp and hanging emerald-paste amphora (vase) pendant. Some more information can be found here: 1, 2, 3. 

The "Byzantine chain" flourished from the 4th-15th centuries AD, using interlocking rings and often being adorned with precious gemstones. Other  names include 'Etruscan', 'Birdcage", 'Fool's Dilemma', 'Idiot's Trap', 'Idiot's Delight', and 'Bird's Nest' with 'Byzantine' being the most common name. 

"Pretzel Heart" chain, lovers chain, curved heart chain, 

Gems:

The romans referred to pearls by the Greek name Margarita. There were many kinds of pearls, the largest and most beautiful called unios; pear-shaped pearls called elenchi; and when clustered together so they jingled gently with movement, they were called crotalia. Crotalia (Greek for 'rattle' or 'castanets') are a common style earring throughout the history of the Roman Empire. Pearls came in a variety of colours and sizes: "small reddish pearls from the Black Sea, large marble-shaded pearls from Greece, and golden ones from Britain. But the most highly prized pearls, which were a brilliant, shiny white, came from the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf." Pliny the Elder, a Roman philosopher, once stated that women spent more on their ears than on any other part of their bodies. Pearls were commonly used by nobles in Byzantium

Other gems, such as sapphires (hyakinthoi, or hyacinths), rubies, amethysts (to protect against the effects of wine and poison and to keep them from harm in battle), emeralds (Byzantium called many types of stones emeralds, including soft green gems works from a type of quartz), and lapis lazuli, were procured from African trade routes. Byzantium would also acquire gems and gold from India, Persia, and the East. An abundance of gold [was] mined from the areas near Constantinople. Emperor Justinian I himself decreed in the Justinian code in 529 AD that some of the most precious gems and stones (rubies, pearls, emeralds, etc.) were for exclusive use of the emperor in Title 11 of The Code of Justinian. It is stated that "No one shall hereafter be permitted to decorate the bridles and saddles of his horses, or his own belts with pearls, emeralds, or hyacinths, or to insert them therein." The people could decorate their belongings with other gems, however, should the people use any of the gems listed in Title 11, or "be so bold as to fabricate any ornaments decorated with gold and jewels which are exclusively destined for  use of the emperor," they would face both a heavy fine and capital punishment. Artificers could only make imperial ornaments within the palace, not in private residences or workshops. Justinian could present the finest jewels to his favorite 'servants.' All other precious stones and gold were allowed to be worn, such as garnets, beryls, corundum, and of course pearls. In addition to these gems, the desired polychrome effect on jewelry was conducted via the art of enameling.

Gemstones were often rounded, polished, and drilled to allow golden wire through the stone and bent to allow the gems to be linked into necklaces, earrings, headwear, and bracelets. Cabochons (rounded stones), were far more popular than faceted stones (carved to have many flat sides), and inserted into collets (a ring or rim of metal designed to encircle a gemstone). Eventually, gemstones became much more important to noble Byzantines, to the point that there was less interest in putting gold into surrounding large gemstones, which is why the art of Glyptography, the art of carving gemstones, grew to be more popular in Byzantium. Cameos and intaglios (engraved signet-stones) were common in a wide variety of cultures going as far back as 5000 BC. In Byzantium, they became popular in ring stones and pendants.

"A wealthy person or member of the clergy may have worn this elegant cross, the largest known cross to have been worked in opus interrasile." 500-700 AD.

Late 6th-7th century Byzantine earrings with peacocks, using the opus interassile metalworking technique used from the 200s-600s. 

Byzantine cloisonné enamel plaque circa 1100 AD using the senkschmelz or "sunk" technique and the thin-wire technique. 

Byzantine chain pattern, highlighting each link using different-coloured metals. 

Gold Necklace with Pearls and Stones of Emerald Plasma with a golden openwork bird clasp from the MET. 

Byzantine necklace featuring Amethyst and clasps styled via filigree metalwork. 500-700 AD. The image depicts rounded, polished, and drilled gemstone beads, linked via a bent gold loop to form the the necklace.

Byzantine necklace featuring clasps worked in repoussé, a "viking knit" chain, and emerald-paste amphora. Dated about 300 AD. 

Brooch of rare Byzantine intaglio sapphire with the image of a son of Emperor Consatantine dated 337-50 within an Ottonian metalwork brooch made centuries later circa 950-1000, highlighting the use of collet spaces for the surrounding pearl(?) gemstones that have since fallen off of the piece. 

From What is a Fede Ring?, [This ring was] likely intended to be a signet, inscribed with text of religious significance, read as CHRISTUS VINCIT, CHRISTUS REGNAT, CHRISTUS IMPERAT, which translates as "Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ rules; and ET VERBUM CARO FACTO EST ET HABITAVIT IN NOBIS, or 'And the World was made flesh and dwelt among us." The intaglio is carved with the initials CCPS and IPD." 

From the Victoria and Albert Museum of London, "Intaglios served a major luxury market in ancient Greece and Rome and the art form was revived in Europe during the Middle Ages. Antique intaglios were highly prized by medieval craftspeople and were often incorporated into signet rings (as in this example) or into precious chalices and crosses. Here, a third-century red jasper intaglio has been mounted into a fourteenth-century Italian gold ring. Its owner, the priest Thomas Roggerri of Suessa, would have pressed the stone into soft wax as his own personal seal on letters and documents."

Openwork Jewelry (Images from "Intelligible Beauty")

Wedding Jewelry in Christian Byzantium

Also called Marriage/Betrothal/Poesy/Fede Rings, depending on time and style.

From Mercatvra, "In ancient Rome, marriage would have been called justae nuptiae, justum matrionium, or ligitimum matrimonium . Marriages had to conform to Roman law. The term connubium, for instance, denotes the legal right to get married, and this was a requirement before people could wed. Not everyone had connubium. Such individuals include people who were already married, eunuchs, and couples within the bounds of certain blood relationships. There were also other laws governing marriage in ancient Rome, including the acquisition of parental consent before marriage, and a minimum age for marriage (12 for females and 14 for males)." 

From Masterpieces of Ancient Jewelry: "Today most Christians and Jews do not get married at home, but rather in a church or synagogue. During the early Byzantine period, the custom, which was inherited from the Romans, was to be married at home before a portrait of the emperor or an image of a divinity."

From 7000 years of Jewelry, "Another late Roman innovation was the openwork finger-ring incorporating letters which form an appropriate inscription. From the second century AD onwards the Christian betrothal ring was usually made of gold.... [regarding 2nd-34d century Love Token of Polemius rings to the right] Although the interior is smooth, the sixteen openwork panels are each divided into three horizontal zones, the middle containing a letter; the Greek inscription, which indicates that it was a betrothal ring, suggests that it was made in the Eastern Roman Empire."

From What is a Fede Ring?, Faith, loyalty, tust, belief: A common style of marriage ring called 'fede rings,' named after the Italian term mani in fede, or "hands in faith," hand-in-hand, dates back to Ancient Greek/Roman cultures where a handshake, called dextrarum inunctio, or "joining right hands" in Latin, represented couples joined in marriage. This style of marriage ring survived into the 19th century. The motif of clasped hands signify love, betrothal, and marriage. Some bands depict saints or other religious figures around the band itself. The Irish variant of a fede ring that some readers may be familiar with is the Claddagh ring, the oldest of which is believed to be dated c. 1700 and is presently residing at the Galway City Museum.

From Fascinating Facts: Fede Rings, Fede rings could also be called gimmel rings, from the Latin gemellus meaning "twin," referring to "two (or sometimes three) interlocking parts. During the betrothal period, the bride and groom would wear one part of the ring each and then, during the marriage ceremony, the ring would come together to form a single, more complex ring." 

From 7000 Years of Jewelry, "Fede-rings have continued in use throughout Europe up to the present day and sometimes they bear a religious, or even magical, inscription, making them fall into both the amuletic and betrothal categories, for it is impossible to know which had the greater significance for the original owner.... Byzantine marriage-rings of the sixth and seventh centuries are often elaborately engraved, and depict the bride and bridegroom."

From Lock and Spoon, "After the [Western] Roman Empire, clasped hands fell out of fashion, and rings engraved with Christian motifs such as crosses, or portraits (particularly of saints) were much more common during the Byzantine period beginning in the fourth century [and as mentioned above reached their peak in popularity in the sixth and seventh centuries]. However, jewelers started using the mani in fede imagery again during the middle ages, as the ideas of courtly love and affection started gaining ground, particularly with the court of Eleanor of Aquitaine of France." 

Between the end of the (Western) Roman Empire and the first Iconoclasm, Christian Byzantine wedding rings began to depict several, if not all, of the following characteristics:

The presence of a cross/God/Christ etc. between the bride and groom would symbolize the couple's piety/devotion to Christianity and the protection of Christ.

From Byzantium and the West: Jewelry in the First Millennium, "On some rings, Christ appears between the married couple, taking the place of the goddess Concordia who typically appeared in [Western] Roman depictions of marriage." The goddess embodies agreement in marriage and society. Her Greek equivalent is usually regarded as 'Harmonia'. The adaptation using Christ demonstrates the survival of pagan traditions within a Christian context. "The Greek word ομόνοια, the equivalent of the Latin concordia, denoting the harmony of the ideal marriage, often is engraved on the rings, but it is part of a longer formula, ΕΧ ΘΕΟΥ ΟΜΟΝΟΙΑ ΧΑΡΙC ΥΓΙΑ, specifying that "concord, grace, and health (come) from God.... Rings of this type are probably the single most popular variety of ring worn by women. How the rings were used is uncertain, however. Although betrothal rings (the anulus pronobus) presented by the groom to the bride are cited in literary accounts, there is no evidence to suggest that the giving or exchange of rings was part of the marriage ceremony. Most surviving Byzantine rings appear to commemorate the marriage after the fact." The information regarding  not knowing how the rings were used conttrasts with Factinating Facts: Fede Rings regarding how (and how many) rings were used. This may be due to the century, or whether fede rings were used differently from rings depicting the heterosexual couple with Christ between. 

From Masterpieces of Ancient Jewelry: "In contrast to marriage rings from [the fourth century], when Roman rings were round and showed a profile of a couple who were often holding hands, the newer [6th century] Christian ring is square and engraved [see image to right from Masterpieces of Ancient Jewelry page 89], with a cross between the frontal busts of a couple wearing marriage crowns. The groom is wearing a toga-like garment with a large brooch, called a fibula, at one side, and the bride is wearing pearl earrings and a pearl-encrusted collar."

From Byzantium and the West: Jewelry in the First Millennium, "Rings with the busts of a married couple became very fashionable in the fourth and early fifth centuries throughout the Roman Empire, and the tradition continued into the sixth century in Byzantium. Typically, the portraits are generic and not particularly realistic, although often a fashionable hairstyle or jewelry is depicted to show the status of the couple... Sometimes these rings were personalized with the names of the couple...." 

These rings were popular up until (and including) the 8th century, with the first Iconoclasm changing the laws of what religious images could be legally depicted in (Christian) art (to summarise the Iconoclasm in a very brief way). As mentioned above, fede rings became popular once again in the world with the court of Eleanor of Aquitaine, or "The Court of Love" in the Palace of Poitiers in France from 1168-1173 AD. 

Some More on Byzantine Wedding Band History:

Replications found:


2nd-3rd century Byzantine marriage-rings, "The Love Token of Polemius". The delicate polygonal example excavated at the Roman fort at Corbridge, Northumberland, in 1935 is a rare survival from Roman Britain.... Polygonal openwork rings incorporating an inscription are a distinctive type found throughout the Empire. The pierced technique is especially typical of late Antique jewellery, but this class of ring appears to have come into use in the 2nd century AD. In many cases the mottoes on the panels are in Greek: that on [top, above], from Cortbridge, Northumberland reads: 'the love-token of Polemios'. The Bedford ring [bottom, above] has a Latin motto: EUSEBIO VIVAS ('[long] life to Eusebius'). Such rings must clearly have been made to special order, which seems to argue against any single place of manufacture."  

3rd century fede intaglio ring. OMONOIA lay under the hands. Carved onyx. 

5th century wedding band. The wreath around the band may represent the wedding custom of the couple wearing wreath crowns on their wedding day. From Byzantium and the West, "the [above] ring is of unconventional shape, with a hollow, cup-shaped bezel joining a separately made hoop with a flat interior and a convex exterior inlaid all around with a braided wire filigree. The bezel is hexagonal with curving sides decorated on the top with six gold pellets. From the center rises a tall collar enclosing a thin gold disc engraved with the busts of a man on the left, a fibula on his shoulder, and woman on the right, her hair worn up in a fashion common in the fifth century; between them is a long cross. 

"The prominence of the cross emphasizes the piety of the couple, as well as Christ's protection. Several very similar gold discs [bezels] detached from their ring survive... but this [the ring in the above image] is the only complete ring recorded.... Oval, stepped bezels were introduced in the mid-fifth century and remained popular until the beginning of the sixth century." 

From What is a Fede Ring? Mid-3rd century AD. Solid gold Roman ring from the MMA with a fede image carved in relief onto the band. "This [Late Antiquity] imagery was not associated with the deep love and affection as it came to be later in the medieval period, as you can see in the impersonal way the hands are depicted."

Fede ring from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Blue agate cameo inscribed with OMONOIA. 

3rd-4th century ring on display at the MET. 

Rounded bronze replication of Byzantine marriage ring 4th-5th century, "likely from a less affluent family".

"Late 4th to early 5th century marriage ring featuring  a convex exterior and concave interior hoop. The bezel is an inverted square frustum, narrow at the hoop and widening at the engraved device. Draped busts of a man and woman facing each other are engraved on it with a dotted border; between them is a pattern of four dots probably denoting a cross."

Labeled 5th century ring from Ferrell Collection in ..... labeled 7th century in Byzantium and the West. From Byzantium and the West, "square-bezel marriage rings are somewhat unconventional, but the iconography of the couple begun in Roman times continued in Byzantium, their imagery and inscriptions making them suitably Christian." 

Byzantine wedding ring in the British Museum. 

The first image above is from a listing for a custom commission printing from DStoreyStudio/SmallBrushStudio. The third image above is the late 4th/early 5th century ring they are based on (presently located at the Dumbarton Oaks Museum). "Just like modern times, wedding rings in the Byzantine empire were exchanged during the marriage rite as a testament to the couple's legitimate union. Three rings were made: One engagement ring and two for marriage. The crown face depicted portraits of the couple and their inscribed names, often with a cross or the image of Christ between them, sanctifying their marriage. The thick band was decorated with images and words of symbolic and Biblical importance."

6th century Byzantine wedding ring, or "fede" ring from the Walter's Art Museum.s

From Masterpieces of Ancient Jewelry page 89: Marriage Ring from Byzantium, 6th Century C.E., Gold, D: 2.5 cm, from a private collection.  "Marriage rings were not part of the wedding ceremony as they are today. The couple in this ring is blessed, as indicated, by the bust of Christ above them and the Greek inscription that means "harmony of God." 

6th-7th century Byzantine gold marriage ring. From Byzantium and the West, "The hoop is a solid cylinder that joins a separately made, circular bezel, on which is engraved the frontally facing busts of a married couple, the man on the left and the woman on the right. Christ, nimbate, stands between them, his arms outstretched, holding marriage crowns (wreaths). Engraved below is the word OMONOIA, 'concord.'"

6th-7th century Marriage Ring with Scenes from the Life of Christ. From the Walters Art Museum, "This rare, octagonal ring is decorated with eight scenes from the life of Christ, with the Ascension seen on the flat surface of the bezel (top). Protective powers were attributed to scenes of the life of Christ, which combine to form a prayer in pictures. Transcription: Ἅγιος, ἅγιος, ἅγιος Κύριος Σαβαώθ. Translation: Holy, holy, holy is the lord of Hosts (Isaiah 6:3). 

6th-7th century.

From Byzantium and the West, "The nearly square bezel was crafted separately and attached to a thick band with a flat interior and slightly convex exterior... Between the couple is a star with eight rays... The star of eight rays is also unusual and of uncertain significance, although it may have been a form of a Christian monogram, combining a cross and the letter X. These stylistic features suggest a relatively early date, probably in the early sixth century.... Below is engraved the word OMONOIA , "concord," inlaid with niello. The engraving on the bezel is finely detailed, with carefully cut facial features, rows of drilled pellets in the hair, and well-modeled drapery.

6th-7th century.

From Byzantium and the West, "the ring has a circular bezel made separately and attached to a solid cylindrical hoop. Engraved on the bezel are the frontally facing busts of the married couple, the man on theleft with a fibula on his shoulder, and the woman on the right. Between them is a cross inlaid with niello and surmounted by a bust of Christ with cross-nimbus. Below [the couple] is engraved OMONOIA, and above, ΘΕΟΥ, "concord from God," both words inlaid with niello. 

6th-7th century gold wedding belt. 

From Byzantium and the West, "A gold marriage belt depicts the bride and groom with Christ standing between them and the [full] formula ΕΧ ΘΕΟΥ ΟΜΟΝΟΙΑ ΧΑΡΙC ΥΓΙΑ." In the images of the front center pieces, a heterosexual couple is pictured clasping their right hands together, their dextrarum inunctio, before Christ who stands between them. Around the belt are images of pagan gods. 

From Dumbarton Oaks Museum, "The marriage scene with Christ appears on the one other extant Byzantine marriage belt (Musée du Louvre, Paris) but in numerous variations on marriage rings. It expressed Christ’s blessings on the marriage couple. More challenging is the integration of non-Christian figures with the Christian scenes. A reasonable analogy is the use of pagan imagery in poetry celebrating Christian marriage attested in the second half of the sixth century in Egypt. Although the belt was said to have been found in Antioch, it may reflect the same inclusive culture witnessed in Egypt at about the same time. No text records the use of a belt in the early Christian wedding ceremony, so the role of this example remains open. A later source mentions a belt given to the bride in the marriage chamber, signaling a private transfer rather than a public ritual. Whenever it was presented, the belt might symbolically “bind” the bride and groom together at the moment of one of the most basic changes in status of a young couple’s social life."

The other extant Byzantine marriage belt (Musée du Louvre, Paris).

The following was translated from French from the Louvre's department of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities: 

"Byzantine belt (place of creation/discovery: Syria), 575/600 AD (4th quarter 6th century AD). Smaller medallion busts: maenad... alternating with allegory of city. Larger medallion busts: wedding scene, Christ (center, front, tunic, mantle, nimbus, beard, blessing); man (tunic, coat); woman (veil, dress); in the field; cross; ground line. Greek text.

"Materials and techniques: leaves/sheets, hammering, welding, soldering, embossesd (decor), granulation/granule (decor), pushed back. Technical precision: the two large medallions are attached by hinges (one hing has disappeared)."

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7th century Byzantine wedding ring from the Musée du Louvre  depicting bride, bridegroom, and centered Christ figure and the inscribed "harmony" in nielloed gold.

Early 7th century Byzantine wedding ring in the British Museum. From Byzantium and the West, "Christ bestows his blessing on the couple as the holds marriage crowns over their heads, an allusion to the practice during the actual marriage ceremony."

7th century Byzantine wedding ring featuring the heterosexual couple and Christ/God above them on the front of the ring with saints/angels/Christian icons around the band. 

7th century Byzantine marriage-ring "engraved and nielloed with figures of Christ and the Mother of God blessing a bridegroom and a bride respectively.... The octagonal hoop is engraved and nielloed with scenes from the life of Christ. 

7th-9th century Byzantine wedding band with much less Christian imagery following the first Iconoclasm.

Engagement ring from 1175-1300 AD on exhibition at the Getty Villa. "In the Byzantine Empire, as today, rings exchanged during the marriage rite witnessed a couple's legitimate union. Three rings were associated with this rite of passage: one ring for engagement and two for marriage.... In Greek Orthodox custom, following the Byzantine tradition, the ring is worn on the right, or "correct" hand, related to the acceptability of the marraige through an ancient rite of the clasping of the right hands.... Four lines are inscribed on the ring's bezel. Translated, they read, 'I, Goudeles, give this engagement ring to Maria.' The band's thick sides are decorated with green, blue, red, and white enamel flowers and spirals. The flowers and scrollwork recall the text of the Greek Orthodox marriage service, which compares the bride to a fruitful vine, expressing the hope for fertility. The intricate decoration and heavy weight of the gold indicate that Maria and Goudeles were members of a wealthy, and likely prominent, Byzantine family." The Goudeles Family was a wealthy and prominent family in Byzantium, click link and see "further reading" for references.

When pressed into a loaf of uncooked bread, the stamp would have left the mark “Jesus Christ Victorious.” Bread identified by such stamps was used for the consecrated bread in the Divine Liturgy (Eucharist). 500-900.

Non-Christian Jewelry in Byzantium

Jewish

Masterpieces of Ancient Jewelry page 88: "During early Byzantine times, both Christians and Jews considered Jerusalem to be the center of the Holy World. Christian motifs were an integral part of early Byzantine jewelry, and though Jewish iconography was extremey rare, it did exist. For example, most bread stamps of the time are in bronze and feature Christian motifs for making the holy bread for the Eucharist. However, the bronze bread stamp on this page features Jewish symbols. The bread stamp served to assert Jewish idenity with such smbols as the seven-branched menorah, representing lamps of the Second Temple, which was destroyed by Romans in 70 C.E. The ram's horn, or shofar, is blown at the Temple to call in the New Year. The ceremonial palm branch, or lulav, is carried during the processions from Sukkat, the harvest festival that occurs five days after Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. The incense shovel is associated with the Temple's daily activities."

The Discovery of the Menorah Treasure at the Foot of the Tample Mount. 

Judaism During the Byzantine Period from the MET

Byzantine Empire from thet Jewish Virtual Library

Wikipedia on History of the Jews in the Byzantine Empire.

Islamic

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Pagan

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Secular

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Combination??

From Masterpieces of Ancient Jewelry: A bronze Judaic Byzantine bread stamp, dated 4th-5th century AD. L: 5.5cm, W: 4.2 cm. The bread stamp depicts a menorah, shofar, lulav, and incense shovel. 

Various crotalia earrings depicted on Romano-Egyptian mummy portraits.

Treasures and Hoards

"The Second Cyprus Treasure: The island of Cyprus was an important trading center in the eastern Mediterranean in the early Byzantine era. This impressive gold and silver treasure is from the samall town of Karavas, near Lambousa (ancient Lapithos), the principal seaport on the island's northern shore. It may have been buried by a wealthy person or family in the mid-600s as the Arabs invaded the island. Discovered in 1902, the treasure consists of eleven silver dishes, with nine depicting events in the life of King David, and eight pieces of gold jewelry. Works from the treasure were given to the [MET] in 1917 by their then owner, J. Pierpont Morgan; the rest are in the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia. The First Cyprus Treasure, found in the mid-1800s and now in the British Museum, London, is also Byzantine. As it was also found near Karavas, the two treasures may have been buried at the same time." 

"The Chalice of Antioch," originally named the "Holy Grail" as used in the Last Supper (Matthew 26:27), is now identified by scholars as a standing lamp. "The shape of the elaborate vine scroll shell encasing the cup is typical of lamps popular in churches of the 500s (the cup being dated 500-550 AD). While the identification of the seated figures inhabiting the vine scroll is not certain, the two outhful central figures probably represent Christ. He appears seated on one side, holding a scroll, and in a similar pose on the other side beside a lamb and over an eagle with outspread wings." 


Meander/meandros borders (named after the Meander River in present-day Turkey), also called "Greek Lines" or "Greek fret/key," date back to around 700 BC. The pattern is commonly seen in Byzantine mosaic patterns in various temples. 

"Chalices of Western Christianity often have a pommel or node where the stem meets the cup to make the elevation easier. In Roman Catholicism, chalices tend to be tulip-shaped and the cups are quite narrow... In Eastern Christianity (Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches), chalices will often have icons enameled or engraved on them, as well as a cross."

Parasols have been around for roughly four thousand years, seen throughout Egypt, Assyria, Greece, India, and China. Apart from protection from the sun and rain, "they are also symbolic of spiritual protection...The Ancient Greeks used parasols during Dionysus' festivities or for fertility during prayers to Demeter and Persephone, though were also used by the military to protect against the sun as well as by women to ward off men." Many branches of Christianity use an umbrella in their ceremonies. In the Catholic Church, an umbraculum is used during succession ceremonies when new pope takes the position and is used on the Coat of Arms "Sede Vacante" when a pope's seat has been vacated. It is still used in pontifical regalia.