Antique early Georgian Earrings Garnet Bows Gold Silver Pyrite c1740 (6496)

Antique early Georgian earrings. Cabochon garnets and pyrite set in silver over 15k gold. Made in England, circa 1740.

 

Measurements: Excluding the wires, approximately 1 inch (28mm) long. Combined weight is 10.3 grams.

 

Description : A little after the Queen Anne period, these earrings have survived almost 200 years. The surmounts are in the form of bows, set with small faceted pyrite, glinting like diamonds, set in silver. Sturdy hinges connect the upper bows to the drops, which are in the form of full, luxurious cabochon garnets, closed with gold at the back and in jagged collets, surrounded by pyrite matching the surmount. The enclosed garnets with a particularly beautiful lustre and gleam. The hinges allow the drops to move independantly and assume different angles.

 

We will include the antique earring box with these extraordinary treasures.

 

Marks: No marks as is to be expected of jewelry of this age.

 

Condition: For their age, the earrings are in extraordinary condition. The gold wires are almost certainly later replacements. Please see enlarged pictures and don't hesitate to ask questions which we will do our best to answer.

THE STORY: When we imagine the women who have owned and enjoyed and taken care of these earrings, the mind simply boggles. To go back, generation before generation almost 300 years is rare indeed. In fact, the woman who originally owned these earrings must have been pretty special as well. Jewelry like this was not owned by the masses at that time. It would be given to an aristocratic and wealthy woman by a husband or lover. Was it on the occasion of her engagement, marriage, child or simply to celebrate a special friendship? That we cannot know, but we can imagine her, the earrings swaying in the candlelight, her long, voluminous and heavy dresses swishing as she moved, held elegantly by corsets and stays beyond our memories. Changing her dress and jewelry up to 5 times a day, what part did these earrings play in her life? Left to daughters and daughters daughters for countless generations. Hopefully, we will enjoy them and they will go down to our descendants as amazingly intact as they are today.