White Wedding - Vintage Sterling Silver Cultured Pearl & Marcasite Chandelier Earrings (VE256)

White Wedding - Vintage Sterling Silver Cultured Pearl & Marcasite Chandelier Earrings. These stunning earrings are crafted from sterling silver, hallmarked 925 for sterling.  Featuring 78 genuine cultured pearls, numerous rose cut marcasite, Art Deco stying, and quality craftsmanship.  These earrings are known as a chandelier or a girandole design. A girandole is when the segments of metal branch out , usually in 3 parts.  The surmounts on these earrings are for pierced ears and feature posts and secure butterfly backs.  The earrings are articulated beautifully, and adorned with beautiful white lustrous pearls, with a silvery grey overtone. and sparkling rose cut marcasite.  These Vintage earrings are exquisite, perfect earrings for your special day, and will be cherished for many years to come.

History: Pearls were presented as gifts to Chinese royalty as early as 2300 BC, while in ancient Rome, pearl jewellery was considered the ultimate status symbol. So precious were the spherical gems that in the 1st century BC, Julius Caesar passed a law limiting the wearing of pearls only to the ruling classes. According to legend, Cleopatra crushed a pearl into a glass of wine to prove to Marc Antony that she could give the most expensive dinner in history.

Marcasite jewellery has been made since the time of the Ancient Greeks. It was particularly popular in the eighteenth century, the Victorian era and with Art Nouveau jewellery designers.

Silver was first found in large amounts around 5000 BC, when prehistoric people dug the first copper mines. ... Large-scale silver mining had developed in Anatolia by 3000 BC. This was to meet the demand from the first ancient city states, which used the metal as a common medium of exchange.

Measurements: Earrings 58.00 mm x 20.00 mm 

Stone Size: Pearl 4.00 mm - 1.50 mm      Marcasite 1.00 mm 

Weight: 10.00 grams 

Condition: Excellent 

Origin: Spain 

Date: Circa 1980