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 Sardinia, but the use of yellow gold filigree with red gold facings was common in all kinds of jewellery throughout central and southern Italy in the 19th century. Jewellery like this is still being made and worn in the region today.

This earring has gold marks of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies from the early 19th century, and the maker’s mark AC, probably that of Antonio Caccavallo of Naples. It was bought as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867.