Makeup and Jewelry

Makeup has been in existence at least since 2000 BC. Many women, particularly women in Egypt, used kohl sticks to highlight their eyes. Some also used ocher and turquoise malachite to make powders to decorate their eyes. Yet many times in the Bible, women described as “painting their eyes” had bad reputations. Queen Jezebel is an example. She put on makeup and fixed her hair when Jehu, the new king of Israel, came to town.

Oils and perfumes were made from olives, almonds, and the leaves or bark of trees. Some expensive perfumes included aloes, nard, myrrh, and frankincense. Men and women wore jewelry including necklaces, earrings, nose rings, and rings on toes, ankles, and wrists. The golden calf the people of Israel demanded that Aaron make had been made from melted gold jewelry. A signet ring was worn as a sign of status. It also was pressed on wax and used on documents as a sign that the document was authentic. The pharaoh of Egypt gave Joseph a signet ring and a gold chain as a sign of Joseph’s new status in Egypt. Eliezar, the servant of Abraham, gave Rebekah silver and gold jewelry when she agreed to marry Abraham’s son Isaac.