Ancient Roman jewelry was characterized by its use of colored gemstones and glass, in contrast to earlier Greek jewelry, which was noted for its high-quality metalwork by practiced artisans. Roman jewelry making thrived thanks to the abundance of natural resources sourced through widespread control of Mediterranean territories. Further commerce opened access to precious and semi-precious stones imported from the East via the Persian Silk Road.

Throughout the Roman world, jewelry was worn by both men and women and by every social class, serving as decoration and as a marker of wealth and social status. Jewelry styles and materials in the Roman Empire were shaped by Greek, Egyptian, and Etruscan influences throughout its history.

Although fine gold and silver jewelry receives much attention, such pieces were typically reserved for the wealthy, while most Roman jewelry worn by the lower classes was made of bronze or other inexpensive metals. Unlike earlier Greek jewelry, much Roman jewelry would have been mass-produced using molds and casting methods, a shift which made such items affordable to a broader public.

Roman jewelry worn by the higher classes was produced in many forms, including solid gold necklaces, earrings, rings, bulla, and bracelets. The latter were sometimes made without clasps—such solid gold snake bracelets—while others were secured to the wrist using gold pins or small gold screws.

Roman aesthetic values led to the increased use of precious and semi-precious gemstones as well as colored glass in jewelry. Semi-precious stones such as garnet, emeralds, jasper, and lapis were imported from Egypt while onyx, amber, and moonstone came to Rome from the Persian Gulf. Ostentatious and creative use of color was valued over fine metalwork. Glass makers were supposedly so skilled that they could fool the public into thinking that glass beads and ornaments were actually gemstones. When genuine gems were used, the stones preferred by Roman women were amethyst, emerald, and pearl. Pearls were rare and expensive and were used in Roman jewelry up until the end of the Republic. Clusters of large pearl beads were used to make earrings called crotalia (rattles).

The focus on showiness and imitation of fine materials demonstrates the fact that Romans were highly conscious of how they presented themselves in public. While living, Roman men and women frequently used ornamentation of their houses and bodies to demonstrate wealth, power, influence, and knowledge.This representation changed over time, as noblewomen of the Republic's ornamentum symbolized familial status, while an Imperial noblewomen's ornamentation represented person achievement and status. Elites such as bureaucrats and senators wore gold rings featuring large flashy gemstones to signal status while plebeians wore iron rings except in circumstances where a gold one has been awarded.

As in many societies, ancient Roman accessorizing varied with gender, age, and social standing. Women of high status were expected to wear extravagant gold jewelry in abundance in order display their wealth and rank.

Roman women collected and wore more jewelry than men. Women usually had pierced ears, in which they would wear one set of earrings. Additionally, they would adorn themselves with necklaces, bracelets, rings, and fibulae. One choker-style necklace, two bracelets, and multiple rings would be worn at once. Jewelry was particularly important to women because it was considered to be their own property, which could be kept independently of their husband's wealth and used as the women saw fit. They had the right to buy, sell, bequeath, or barter their own jewelry. Women in Ancient Rome were valued on their elegance in dress and adornment with extravagant jewelry. The way an elite woman accessorized and presented herself in public reflected the rank of her husband.