When the Romans annexed Egypt, they introduced new technologies and refined some old ones. At Alexandria, they introduced hotter and larger ovens which allowed the production of a more fluid glass mixture for jewellery-making.  With this technology, Egyptian and Roman craftsmen were able to produce deeply coloured and intricately patterned beads.  These beads could be mass-produced and were popular everywhere that Roman trade reached, from Britain to India, and, indirectly, on to China. Production flourished through the Byzantine era. The techniques were never forgotten in the Middle East; production revived during Islamic times and was continued by Medieval Venetian glassmakers.

This necklace is a pastiche of beads found in Egypt, showing many types produced using Roman methods, though some date to later periods