Roman men only wore finger rings. Rings were mainly used to hold stones that were carved with pictures of gods or other items. [See Image 5] These were used to make a wax seal on documents and parcels so that any tampering would be seen. While the elite were allowed to have rings made of gold, the majority used iron. The quality of the gemstone and the ring it was set in were not related as an iron ring could be set with a high quality stone.
Other jewellery, such as earrings was thought of as ''barbarian'' and therefore not Roman.
Roman women also wore finger rings used for the same purpose as men [See Image 1]. Also they wore ones with other purposes. One, found during excavations in The Lanes, Carlisle, was carved from a single block of amber and decorated with the head of Minerva, goddess of wisdom and righteous warfare. As amber was thought to have magic properties, it may be that this ring was used to protect the wearer, particularly while asleep.
Additionally, they wore a wide variety of jewellery including bracelets, bangles, earrings [See Image 3 and 4] and necklaces. Many of the bracelets found in Carlisle are simple strips of copper alloy. However, one from Castle Street [See Image 2] was made of three wires, one brass, one copper and one iron, twisted together to make a decorative pattern. Bangles, which are complete rings worn around the wrist, were made from a variety of materials including metal or decorated glass. Some of these were plain opaque white, but others had twisted patterns on them. Necklaces were usually simple, often just a string of beads. One common second century CE
(AD) type was made of emerald crystals set between decorative links of gold wire. An example of this type was found at Kirkby Thore.
Hairpins [See Image 6] were a new jewellery item introduced by the Romans.
Native British women before the invasion probably wore their hair loose although some would have adopted Roman fashion with the arrival of the invaders. Boudicca is described as having red hair that reached her waist.
Roman women dressed their hair in a number of ways, often following styles worn by the imperial family. To keep their hair in position, hairpins would have been used. Many have been found in Carlisle. Some are made of expensive materials like jet and shale, while others (cheaper perhaps) were made of bone. Some of these were stained red or green to provided highlights in the hair. Some of these pins show that they had been resharpened, showing that they were valued enough to be repaired.