Antique Georgian earrings / ear pendants. Gold and topaz. Made in England Great Britain in the 1820's.
Measurements:
Weight is 16.6 grams. Approximately 1 7/8 inches long (4.4cm).
Description :
Cannetille work with filigree and granulation is very fine. Rings of gold wirework filigree form flowers with golden granulation in their centers as well as on the corners of each bloom.
The butterfly shaped, undulating foliage is interestingly in two colors of gold -the larger leaves at the bottom are bright yellow gold while the smaller foliage, curling upwards above them is orange-red.
The leaves curve and are engraved with naturalistic details. 3 ribbons of red gold extend down from the 'waist' of the foliage, ending in red gold globules.
The tips of the larger leaves are pierced with small loops from which a tubular, bell-like flower is suspended. These tiny flowers offer a very subtle element of interest as they dangle below the leaves, swinging and swaying as the wearer moves.
The botanic theme continues with the gold upper sections of the flowers - very much like calyxes - the part of a bloom that holds the petals together. Very naturalistic and beautifully modelled, they are like little pixie caps.
Within each oval flower is a large oval pink topaz. Since these stones are enclosed in gold (as was the norm in Georgian jewelry), we don't know whether their bright pink tone is enhanced by the gold backing.
The different sections of the earrings are connected via small loops that allow total flexibility and movement adding to the visual attraction and draw of these fabulous ear pendants.
Original wires were replaced with screw backs for non-pierced ears, probably quite early in the 1900's. The new owner can leave them like this or have the screwbacks replaced with another fitting (posts, wires or clip-ons).
Marks and Metal:
As with most antique jewelry, the gold is not perfectly uniform. Goldsmiths of earlier centuries often melted together coins, old earrings, and other scraps, creating alloys that varied slightly from one spot to another. As is to be expected, there are no mark on the original Georgian earrings. Back (dome) about 15k; cannetille at bottom 20.5 - 21k; foliage or butterfly in the middle 14k; dangled flowers 10k. The screw backs are marked PAT 24006 and test as 14k.
Condition:
Good with minor wear commensurate with age. As mentioned above, screwbacks are replacements. Please see enlarged pictures and don't hesitate to ask questions which we will do our best to answer.
THE STORY:
Dating Georgian jewelry can be a little inaccurate, but when we see cannetille work as in these earrings, we know that the jewelry dates to the period 1820-1830. Gold was in scarce supply and in order to give jewelry a bigger look, gold wirework in 3-dimentions was used, often in the form of spiraling pyramids or flowers. During the Georgian era, high society was obsessed with flora so flower themes in jewelry were very popular.
