Earrings

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 was made in the Papal States, and was worn in Lazio, in central Italy. Simple hoop earrings, often very large and with faceted or domed decoration, were common throughout central and northern Italy in the 19th century, and are still widely worn today.

This earring was bought as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867.