Sterling Silver Customizable Cartouche Pendant with Chain Handcrafted in Egypt (1.5 x 0.8 inches)

Handmade sterling cartouche pendant is carved by expert artisans in the heart of Cairo celebrating Egypt’s Pharaonic royal roots with premium quality silver.

The cartouche is one of the most iconic and significant symbols to emerge from ancient Egypt. When reading hieroglyphics, the symbols enclosed in oval shapes are referred to as cartouches. Enclosed in these simple ovals are the names of Egyptian pharaohs. This critical discovery helped archaeologists decipher the hieroglyphic writing system.

Its shape is quite elegant. It is a simple oval with a line running tangent to it. The cartouche’s Egyptian name is shenu. Shenu refers to what is encircles. It takes the appearance of a loop of rope, which represents a shen ring or a circle representing eternity. A shen ring is also considered a protective symbol.

Cartouches were not just used for royalty. There were also used to write the name of the gods as well. The emergence of the cartouche is brought on by the pharaohs at end of the 3^rd dynasty. However, it was Pharaoh Sneferu that put in place this royal practice officially. Typically the cartouche is vertical and fashioned with a horizontal line.