Culture and Society Author: My Identity

Fragments of Roman glass can be found at archeological sites all over the former Roman Empire. Some of these pieces hold cultural or historic significance, but most of them are too small and worn to be of any value. In modern times, some artisans have noticed that each piece of Roman glass is unique and beautiful in its own way, and these artists began to set fragments of this ancient glass into jewelry, like precious stones.



The colors of Roman glass were created by glass makers centuries ago, using different chemicals. The original and most common color of Roman glass is aqua, a pale blue-green color that occurred when glass makers simply mixed their raw materials without attention to color. To create clear glass, manganese oxide had to be added to the mixture.

Adding sulfur during the glass making process produced an amber color, while the addition of manganese turned the glass purple. The original aqua glass could be changed to a bolder and darker hue by adding copper, and the addition of lead to this mix resulted in a dark green. Antimony in the mix caused the glass to turn white, antimony and lead created a yellow glass that is rarely found on archeological digs.

To wear a piece of roman glass jewelry is to wear a piece of history. The fragment of glass was formed, held, and touched by human hands centuries ago. Now a beautiful piece of jewelry, the wearer can hold the piece of ancient glass in their hands and just imagine what life it may have had. Was it part of a cup? A drinking bowl? Was it once a part of a cherished possession?

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