By 133 B.C. Rome had absorbed the entirety of the Greek Empire and its economic wealth. And with the rise of the Roman Empire a new phase of
jewelry design was ushered in with the use of
colored gemstones. Roman craftsmen applied gold and
Silver as settings for emeralds,
sapphires,
rubies,
peridots,
garnets and
pearls. However, Roman
jewelers, in order to emphasize the gems rather than their