Earring

Italian women have always loved lavish display. Even for the poorest, a rich show of jewellery was all important. Italian goldsmiths were expert at making a little material go a very long way. Many pieces seem too large to wear comfortably, but they are usually made of very thin gold, and are much lighter than they appear.

All Italian women wore gold earrings. Their shapes varied widely in different places. This earring comes from Palermo, in Sicily, and is characteristic of a type worn throughout the island. It has a mix of gold marks which show it was made in Sicily in the mid-19th century. Goldsmiths in the south of Italy mainly used red gold, often mixed with yellow gold filigree.

It was bought for £3 12s. (the pair) as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867.