Earrings

These earrings with their symmetrical bows are a characteristic neo-classical Portugese design of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. They form part of a demi-parure - a half set of jewels - which includes a necklace which has a symmetrical bow and a long pendant, which echoes the shape of the earrings. Gone is the asymmetry of the mid-eighteenth century jewels influenced by the rococo.

The effect is of brilliance and light. The stones are white and set in silver to enhance their whiteness. They might have been diamonds, but, if they had been, they would probably have been reset into new fashions many times since. This set of jewels owes its survival to the fact that the stones are white topaz and paste (glass).