Egyptian Revival Pendant?

[Garnet Gimlet]

Yesterday I was out browsing the local antique shops in my area, and saw this lovely little pendant. I have always had a penchant for ancient Egypt, since it was only $20, I picked it up.

I don't know much about Egyptian revival jewlery other than the time period and the cause of it. When these peices like this were made, did they use scarabs found in (or looted from) burial caches? Or did jewlery makers use modern materials to make them.
The back of this scarab is matte and not a finished gloss like the front. Does that help draw any conclusions about the origin?

No matter when it was from I like it and it makes me smile. I'd just like to know more about it. Any information or resources you can give me on the subject would be most welcome!

Thanks!

 

[stracci2000]

What a neat find!
I suspect that your pendant contains a modern made scarab, not an authentic ancient one, based on the lack of detail in the carving with no loss of faience(the blue ceramic glaze).
Egyptian craftsmen made lots of these for tourists.
Both ancient scarabs and modern made ones were used in Egyptian revival jewelry, however the authentic ones would have been set in more expensive, elaborate settings.

 

[Katesimone]

To me your pendant looks pretty modern. These were churned out of massive numbers and used mass produced modern scarabs.

It's a very pretty pendant but I don't think there's really much history behind it.

If you're looking for more information on Ancient Egypt or scarabs in general, The Oxford Encyclopaedia of Ancient Egypt is a great place for beginners to start.

 

[Garnet Gimlet]

Thank you both for your reply and the resource! The internet is great, but nothing beats an actual book. I didnt realize how many questions I had about this period until buying this brought them up.

As for authenticity, quite honestly, that is fine. I bought it expecting it to be just a reproduction at best. I just liked it. My 7 year old has recently started getting into Ancient Egyptian Mythology courtsey of the Rick Riordan series and I would love to let her borrow it without worrying about it.

Thanks again!