Victorian Spanish 18K Gold and Silver Diamond Earrings

These Victorian earrings were recently sourced on a trip to Spain and exhibit classical elements of Iberian jewelry. Circa the 1880’s or 1890’s, they are completely handmade. The floral pattern has nice articulation that give the earrings movement and allow the bottom piece to be removed for a day-to-night look. At the top of the earrings is a leaf with a silver set Rose Cut diamond surrounded by a gold buttercup setting. The lower portion of the earrings has leaves that cascade down, repeating the flower motif that holds that diamonds in an old fashioned collet setting. The earrings have pretty patination that adds a romantic chiaroscuro between dark and light. These gorgeous earrings are museum worthy!

On the back of the earrings, the Iberian handmade structure is visible, with looping wires that connect the three portions of the earrings. The bottom two elements can be removed, leaving only the top buttercup for a simpler, daytime look. The earring wire enters the earlobe from the back and connects into the earring in front—an antique design. The earrings are lightweight and won’t weigh down the ears: combined, they weigh 7.5 grams. They measure 2 1/8” x 11/16”. The top dangle, which can be worn alone, measures 1/2”. Unmarked but acid test as 18k gold. 

The Iberian peninsula consists of modern day Spain, Portugal, and France, and was a powerful empire after the fall of the Roman Empire until Napoleon’s invasion in the early 19th century. Because the peninsula was home to a mixture of Jews, Muslims, and Catholics, the distinctive styles of each culture merged and influenced each other over time. Relics, crosses, and Morrish designs can all be found in Iberian jewelry, along with influences of a rich and diverse cross-cultural artistic tradition. Portugal and Spain were international powers during the Renaissance, which allowed them to acquire gemstones from across the world through trade and conquest. This, along with the Portuguese gold rush, impacted the amount of jewelry made in Iberia, and the ornate jewelry making traditions that were passed down to the Georgian and Victorian eras, and still seen in both antique and contemporary jewelry attributed to the Iberian peninsula. 

For pierced ears.