Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 2nd century CE. A beautiful pair of wearable 18K gold earrings, each composed of a loop with a dangling component put onto a modern gold-plated finding. The main hoop is decorated with a large, circular shield with a filigree border and a group of seven granules adorning the raised center. Below that main ring is a dangling bauble, one of which still has preserved a granule cluster attached to its base. Believe it or not, the Romans invented the “hoop earring” which developed around 300 BCE. Roman women - especially of the upper classes - adored earrings; jewelry was particularly important to women in Roman society, because it was legally their own property, independent of their husband's wealth, and they could use it as they saw fit. Size of each: Size: 1.5" H (3.8 cm); total weight of both: 2.5 grams

Provenance: private Orange County, California, USA collection, acquired before 2000

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#125867

Slight bending to ancient gold form. Tiny loss to the bottom of one of the earrings. Modern gold-plated findings were added to the ancient gold forms to make a wearable pair.