The scarab beetle, long a symbol of rebirth, protection, and solar power in ancient Egypt, found renewed artistic life in the 1930s through the skilled hands of Czech glassmakers. These artisans, working in the famed bead-making regions of Bohemia such as Jablonec nad Nisou, began producing scarab-shaped beads and cabochons in glass, often mimicking the ancient Egyptian form but filtered through the aesthetics and materials of early 20th-century Europe. While inspired by genuine faience scarabs produced millennia earlier along the Nile, Czech glass scarabs differed fundamentally in manufacture, intent, and symbolism—yet they also played an important role in the enduring fascination with Egyptian motifs in Western design.
The original Egyptian scarabs were crafted primarily from faience, a glazed non-clay ceramic material made of crushed quartz or sand coated in a vitreous alkaline glaze. This technique allowed for brilliant surface colors—especially turquoise, blue-green, and deep lapis shades—that gleamed like semi-precious stones when polished. Scarabs were often incised with hieroglyphs, protective formulas, or royal names on their flat undersides, and used as amulets, seals, jewelry components, or funerary items. Their form was not only symbolic—linked to the god Khepri, who rolled the sun across the sky like a dung beetle—but also functional, particularly during the Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom periods, when they served as personal seals or status markers.
These scarabs were often strung as beads or mounted in rings and pectorals. Their small scale, typically less than two inches long, made them ideal for wear or inclusion in tomb assemblages. Many were pierced longitudinally for stringing, while others were set in metal bezels. The faience finish, often in brilliant blues and greens, was not just decorative but charged with meaning—blue for the Nile and rebirth, green for vegetation and renewal. Each scarab was, in effect, a miniature religious object.
Fast forward nearly three thousand years to the interwar period of the 20th century, and Egyptomania once again swept through Western fashion and design. The discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 had reignited global interest in all things Egyptian, and European decorative arts responded with vigor. Nowhere was this more evident than in the bead and costume jewelry industries of Czechoslovakia, where glassmakers began producing molded scarabs in striking colors, often replicating the faience tones of their ancient counterparts. These beads were made by pressing molten glass into detailed molds, capturing the beetle’s ridged wing cases and carved legs with impressive precision.
Czech scarab beads were typically made of opaque or semi-translucent glass, sometimes with luster coatings, iridescent finishes, or metallic foils embedded beneath the surface to simulate gemstone quality. The palette expanded beyond traditional Egyptian blue and green to include amethyst purple, ruby red, jet black, amber, and opalescent white. Some beads included faux hieroglyphs or decorative flourishes on their undersides, though these were usually stylized rather than accurate reproductions of ancient writing. Unlike Egyptian faience scarabs, Czech versions were not meant to be sacred objects or personalized amulets; instead, they were decorative elements for Art Deco necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and brooches.
The Czech glass industry in the 1930s was highly industrialized and export-focused, producing vast quantities of high-quality glass beads for global markets. Scarab beads became especially popular in the United States, where department stores and jewelry designers integrated them into lines of Egyptian Revival accessories. These pieces, often mounted in brass or gold-toned settings and paired with other molded glass stones, evoked a glamorous, exotic aesthetic that aligned with contemporary tastes. Costume jewelry brands such as Trifari, Coro, and Hobe occasionally used Czech scarabs in their collections, appealing to consumers who desired a sense of ancient mystique without the expense of true antiquities.
Despite their mass production, many Czech scarab beads were finished with a high level of artistry. The molds used were deeply engraved, resulting in sharp, dimensional forms. The best examples exhibit fine detailing in the legs and wing lines, as well as symmetrical shaping and carefully controlled coloration. Some were even acid-etched to soften the surface or given a matte finish to imitate the weathered appearance of excavated antiquities. These scarabs were often sold alongside matching spacer beads or cabochons, allowing jewelers to create coordinated sets that balanced vintage charm with modern appeal.
While Czech glass scarabs were inspired by Egyptian originals, the meanings ascribed to them had shifted. Rather than functioning as personal talismans or religious symbols, they became motifs of cultural fantasy—visual shorthand for the mystery and grandeur of ancient civilizations. For Western consumers in the 1930s, wearing a scarab necklace was less an act of spiritual invocation than a fashion-forward embrace of global eclecticism. Yet, paradoxically, this secular reinterpretation helped preserve and perpetuate the scarab form, keeping it alive in popular consciousness even as academic Egyptology remained the domain of scholars and collectors.
Today, both Egyptian faience scarabs and 1930s Czech glass scarabs are highly collectible, though for different reasons. Genuine ancient scarabs are prized for their historical and archaeological significance, often residing in museum collections or carefully documented private holdings. Czech scarabs, on the other hand, appeal to collectors of vintage costume jewelry, Bohemian glass, and Art Deco design. Their value is determined by factors such as mold quality, color, condition, and provenance, with rarer hues or unusual finishes commanding higher prices.
When placed side by side, the Egyptian faience scarab and the Czech glass scarab reveal the layers of interpretation that a single form can carry across time. One is embedded with ancient ritual meaning, the other with the aspirations of modern style. Yet both represent a common thread: the enduring power of the scarab shape to captivate the human imagination, to suggest rebirth, beauty, and timelessness, whether worn in the tombs of Thebes or the theaters of Paris.
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