The first true examples of Ancient Greek Jewelry are pieces which utilized beads shaped in the form of various animals and shells. In the years before Christ the Greeks had started to incorporate gemstones and gold into their jewelry. By the year 300 B.C they ventured into the area of colored jewelry, utilizing pearls, amethysts, and emeralds as well. They also made cameos from the Indian Sardonyx (a striped down pink and cream agate). In reality, Greek jewelry started off with very simple designs, but they became increasingly more complex and elaborate as time went on.

The people of Ancient Greece did not wear jewelry in their daily lives. It was worn during special events, occasions, or public appearances. A common gift for women, it was displayed to show off not only their incredible beauty, but also their social status and tremendous wealth. It was thought that jewelry had mystical powers. Many believed that it could ward off the "Evil Eye" (a look that one person could send your way that would bring you injury or other forms of bad luck). Most of the Greek jewelry of this time period was made from (1) silver, (2) gold, (3) ivory, (4) gemstones, (5) clay, and (6) bronze.

The Ancient Greeks developed two types of jewelry. These types were: (1) cast jewelry pieces and (2) those that were formulated by hammering out sheet metal. We have only a few examples of these cast jewelry pieces available today. They were made by casting the metal onto two moulds made out of either clay or stone. These two moulds were joined together with wax, and molten metal was poured into the center of the mould. This technique had been passed down since the Ancient Bronze Age. Jewelry made from hammering sheet metal was much more common. Sheet metal was hammered to the desired thickness, and then soldered together.

The Ancient Romans were known for a number of things, but their jewelry is not one of them. They were very fond of brooches, an item which they utilized to to hold their clothing together. As the Roman Empire was vast and huge at the time, they took full advantage of it, importing various materials from the far-flung reaches under their control. In the early years they made a lot of their jewelry out of glass beads and pearls, but in later years they incorporated bone, bronze, and gold. Imported sapphires from Sri Lanka were also popular. They also used Indian diamonds, emeralds, and amber, as well as Sri Lankan sapphires.

Like their neighbors the Greeks, one of the purposes of Roman jewelry was to ward off the "Evil Eye" given by one's enemies. Women wore jewelry all over their bodies, but for men, it was often only a ring on the finger. It was expected that Roman men would wear a ring on one finger, but some Roman men wore a ring on every finger, while others wore no jewelry at all.