Especially deft was the work of the Etruscans in granulated gold. Onto a metal surface they soldered tiny specks of gold, almost as fine as powder, producing the effect of a rich grain. The artistry of the Etruscan work was so superb that when it was recovered during the Renaissance, Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571), the greatest goldsmith of his time, despaired of making successful copies of the Etruscan pieces and decided to shape designs of his own devising, “inferior as they may be.” _The Roman Conquest_ The whole Etruscan civilization gave way before the splendor that was Rome. Home from their conquests the Romans brought great stores of jewels, treasures of the Orient. Before the crowding and gaping throngs of the imperial city, the “triumphs” of their rulers marched for hours through the streets of Rome, while foreign potentates pulled chariots bearing their conquerors and carts with the loot of their palaces. At Pompey’s third triumph, in addition to countless gold and silver cases bestudded with gems, there were three dining-couches adorned with pearls, and a great chessboard, three feet by four, wrought of two precious stones, with a golden moon, weighing thirty pounds. The Romans also brought home artisans, metal workers and jewelers, from whom after a time the natives learned their craft. Again we find the victors trying to outdo the vanquished whom they naturally despised. The adornments of men and women grew more and more massive. Women’s hairpins were eight and ten inches long. Rings were worn upon every finger. Great thumb rings were set with jewels or made of gold in various designs, especially the heads of animals. Some of the bands of gold were very large but hollow; down the ages echo complaints that, in accident or brawl, a golden ring was crushed. The wealthy, of course, insisted on rings of solid gold. These became so heavy that some had to be worn in cold weather only, lighter ones being designed for summer wear. A specialty among the patricians came to be the key ring, a golden band with the key devised to lie flat along the finger, thus keeping with the master the safety of his treasures. Often a large iron key ring was worn by the chief steward of an estate; this opened the strongbox, which might hold the dinner plate and other daily valuables, and within a recess of which nestled the treasure chest of the golden key. So great was the jeweled extravagance of the late Republic that Cato the Censor (234-149 B.C.) sought by legislation to limit the amount of jewelry one might wear. He also restricted the use of metal in rings, assigning iron, silver, or gold according to rank. Gold was reserved for the official ring of the Senator, which he himself might wear only when on duty. Naturally such restrictions could not be binding for long. Censorship usually produces an exaggeration of what it has tried to curb. In the early days of the Empire everyone worth his salt manifested his worth with adornments.