Earring
ca. 1850 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Piqué is the name for tortoiseshell inlaid with silver and gold. This decorative technique was used for small luxury items such as snuff boxes and jewellery.
The tortoiseshell usually came from the hawksbill (caret) turtle. It was softened in boiling salted water before being moulded in heated dies . Two main decorative effects were used. In piqué posé, the pattern was engraved into the surface and filled with flakes or threads of precious metal. In piqué point, gold pins were inserted to form the design. All the objects in this case are formed by piqué posé.
Piqué was traditionally a French and Italian speciality . By the 1760s it had spread to England, where it was mass produced by Birmingham manufacturers from the 1870s
The tortoiseshell usually came from the hawksbill (caret) turtle. It was softened in boiling salted water before being moulded in heated dies . Two main decorative effects were used. In piqué posé, the pattern was engraved into the surface and filled with flakes or threads of precious metal. In piqué point, gold pins were inserted to form the design. All the objects in this case are formed by piqué posé.
Piqué was traditionally a French and Italian speciality . By the 1760s it had spread to England, where it was mass produced by Birmingham manufacturers from the 1870s
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Piqué, tortoiseshell inlaid with gold and silver |
| Brief description | Piqué earrings, tortoise-shell inlaid with gold and silver, Europe, about 1850 |
| Physical description | Pair of earrings, piqué work, tortoise-shell inlaid with gold and silver. |
| Summary | Piqué is the name for tortoiseshell inlaid with silver and gold. This decorative technique was used for small luxury items such as snuff boxes and jewellery. The tortoiseshell usually came from the hawksbill (caret) turtle. It was softened in boiling salted water before being moulded in heated dies . Two main decorative effects were used. In piqué posé, the pattern was engraved into the surface and filled with flakes or threads of precious metal. In piqué point, gold pins were inserted to form the design. All the objects in this case are formed by piqué posé. Piqué was traditionally a French and Italian speciality . By the 1760s it had spread to England, where it was mass produced by Birmingham manufacturers from the 1870s |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.66&A-1916 |
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| Record created | August 18, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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