Inca Jewelry

The Incas lived in South America about 5,000 yeasts ago and their empire developed quickly. Even though it developed quickly it only lasted 100 years between AD 1438 and 1533. Ancient Incas were located in what is the present-day country of Peru. As far as jewelry Incas took gold work to the next level as they designed flame figures and masks for mummies. They also used copper,silver,and platinum.  They were advanced enough to know that mixing copper and tin created bronze and also worked with inlays of mother of pearl, shell and amethyst. The main reason why the Incas used gold so often in their jewelry is because it was so abundant. They believed that gold shone like the sun and so to honor their main god the Inti Incas decorated their tramples with it. In the Sapa group of Incas members of the royal family, priests, and government authorities wore jewelry daily. Commoners only worker jewelry on special occasions such as religious ceremonies and special celebrations. The Sapa Incas decorated dresses and sandals with gemstones and gold and necklaces were popular amongst men and women. Besides extravagant materials the Incas also used seashells, wood, feathers, and seeds some of which were used on bangles and bracelets popular among women. The nose ring was an important piece of jewelry that was applied to the nose by pressure instead of piercing. The Incas ingenuity and elegance is appreciated to this day.

via – Learning Center – Alari Design