Archeological digs and the findings from opening of tombs of 3rd and 2nd millennia BC in Sumeria, Babylonia and Assyria have revealed a wonderful array of headdresses, necklaces, earrings, and animal amulet (a charm such as an ornament often inscribed with a magic incantation or symbol to protect the wearer against evil, as disease or witchcraft) figures fashioned in gold and silver, many adorned with gemstones. One of the most famous of these pieces is a royal diadem (crown) from Ur which was fashioned in the shape of thin gold beech leaves. It can be viewed in the collection of the British Museum in London.

There was also a plethora of exquisite gold and silver jewelry made in ancient Anatolia, Persia, and Phoenicia. The jewelry-making techniques were both varied and sophisticated. One, called granulation, consisted of the decoration of surfaces with clusters created of tiny grains of gold. Other techniques included filigree (delicate and intricate ornamental work made from gold, silver, or other fine twisted wire), inlaid gems, and cloisonné (decorative enamel work in which metal filaments are fused to the surface of an object to outline a design that is filled in with enamel paste) and champlevé, a style of enamel decoration in which the enamel is applied and fired in cells depressed, as by incising, into a metal background.

It's not surprising that there was considerable influence from Egypt on the jewelry work of Phoenician and significant Mesopotamian influence on Persian jewelry design work. We assume those influences were the result of widespread trade which was prevalent in those times.

Jewelry was a serious art form and was prized as a sign of social position, wealth and status.