Antique jewelry glossary

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Erotic jewelry

Articles of jewelry with erotic decorative motifs, known from a wide area and over many centuries. A phallus has been used on amulets from ancient Egyptian and Roman times, and has been used to decorate brooches, finger rings, etc., throughout the ages.

Examples of such motifs are carved on cameos from the Hellenistic era and the Renaissance period. Many examples have been found in pre-Columbian jewelry, especially in the Mochica jewelry and the Chimú jewelry of Peru. Pornographic buttons were made in the 18th century in France, and also in Japan and India. Modern pieces are known from Germany.

From: An Illustrated Dictionary of Jewelry, autor: Harold Newman, publishers: Thames and Hudson