Earring
18th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Earrings were popular among all the Slav peoples. In Russia in the 16th and 17th centuries both men and women wore them, and some silversmiths worked exclusively as earring makers. By the 19th century they were only worn by women.
From the early 18th century the design of Russian earrings followed two paths. The Russian aristocracy increasingly wore earrings of international design, but the rural population kept to the old traditional patterns. These were made by local silversmiths, who rarely marked their work. As a result, it is very difficult to tell the difference between old earrings and traditional earrings in the old style.
Earrings of this type, with square pendants set with stones, suspended by a hinge from a traditional circular wire, first appeared at the end of the 17th century. They went out of aristocratic use early in the 18th century.
From the early 18th century the design of Russian earrings followed two paths. The Russian aristocracy increasingly wore earrings of international design, but the rural population kept to the old traditional patterns. These were made by local silversmiths, who rarely marked their work. As a result, it is very difficult to tell the difference between old earrings and traditional earrings in the old style.
Earrings of this type, with square pendants set with stones, suspended by a hinge from a traditional circular wire, first appeared at the end of the 17th century. They went out of aristocratic use early in the 18th century.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Rose gold set with diamonds, rubies and foiled pink sapphires, with pendant pearls |
| Brief description | Pair of rose gold earrings set with diamonds, rubies and foiled pink sapphires, with pendant pearls, Russia, 18th century. |
| Physical description | Pair of earrings with square pendants attached by a double hinge to the wire. They are set with rose-cut diamonds, rubies and foiled pink sapphires, and each has three pendant pearls hanging from its lower edge. There are small pierced pearls at the end of each hinge. |
| Credit line | Given by Miss A.V. Hamond |
| Summary | Earrings were popular among all the Slav peoples. In Russia in the 16th and 17th centuries both men and women wore them, and some silversmiths worked exclusively as earring makers. By the 19th century they were only worn by women. From the early 18th century the design of Russian earrings followed two paths. The Russian aristocracy increasingly wore earrings of international design, but the rural population kept to the old traditional patterns. These were made by local silversmiths, who rarely marked their work. As a result, it is very difficult to tell the difference between old earrings and traditional earrings in the old style. Earrings of this type, with square pendants set with stones, suspended by a hinge from a traditional circular wire, first appeared at the end of the 17th century. They went out of aristocratic use early in the 18th century. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.115&A-1953 |
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| Record created | July 31, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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