These silver button-shaped earrings are set with a cluster of cushion-cut colourless paste gemstones. Originally, the backs of these earrings were gilded. The hook fittings have a little extra bales on the side, which are sometimes referred to as 'wig hooks' but were actually used to help put these earrings on with more ease.
The term 'paste' is now generally used for a specific type of faceted glass gemstone that was developed by George Friedrich Strass in the 1720s. Glass material has been used in jewellery since glass was invented millennia ago, but Strass experimented with the lead content and created a recipe that created a brilliance that replicated diamonds.
This not only gave ladies a more affordable option to diamond jewellery, but it also allowed jewellery designers the chance to create outspoken, elaborate designs that were more difficult to make with natural diamonds.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Size: 21 mm in diameter.
Weight: Combined 13.60 grams.
Age: first half of the 18th Century.
Material: Acid tested as being silver.
Condition: In great antique condition with only minor wear, consistent with their age.
Please note that the antique box is for display purposes. This shop is based in the EU. Although antiques are exempt from taxes in most countries, buyers from outside the EU might be subject to import duties.