This is a lovely sterling silver Egyptian Scarab beetle pendant handmade from sterling silver.
The scarab was created using a hand carved, vintage jewelry die that is about one hundred years old! There was a revival of Egyptian motif jewelry in the 1920's after the discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb.
The pendant was created by pressing thick silver sheet into a vintage die, or mold, using a hydraulic press. It is not cast, but pressed silver. It takes several cycles of pressing to get the final details in the silver. I then used a texture plate with a hieroglyphics to create the back piece by rolling the pattern through a mill. There is a hammered coin style edge to the pendant to give texture to the entire piece.
This is a substantial piece of jewelry. I added a very thick silver chain and the whole piece weighs over an ounce of silver.
The pendant is 1-1/2" long, 1" wide , 2" long including the bail. (50mm x 25mm)
It comes on an 18" chain with lobster clasp.
The scarab beetle in ancient Egypt symbolized the cycle of life, death, and rebirth, and is associated with the god Khepri, who represents the rising sun. Scarabs were often used as amulets for protection and good fortune.
