Greece, Hellenistic Period, ca. late 4th to 1st century BCE. A matched pair of 18 karat gold earrings, each composed of a thin gold loop, a delicate gold cage with granulations on it, and three dangling golden items - two fan-like shapes and one amphora on a chain. The body of each amphora is formed of what looks like a coiled gold wire (probably the result of a stamp), with two wire handles. The delicacy of this work shows the remarkable skill of ancient Greek goldsmiths. The miniature amphora seems to have been a popular motif in Hellenistic Greece, especially in the parts of the Greek Empire that are today the Middle East and Central Asia (for example, some have been found in a burial in southern Tajikistan, which was then part of the Seleucid Empire). The British Museum has a bronze stamp for making amphora-shaped pendants for earrings, giving an idea of how these were made. They also have multiple examples of amphora-shaped earrings - see links for these below. Size of each: 2.45" H (6.2 cm); total weight of both: 4.9 grams

See a few examples of similar earrings at the British Museum: http://britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=434357&partId=1&searchText=roman+earrings+amphora&page=1; http://britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=427395&partId=1&searchText=roman+earrings+amphora&page=1

Provenance: private Davis Collection, Houston, Texas, USA; ex-Christie's New York Antiquities Auction, 13 December, 2013, lot 282; ex-Jacques Schulman collection, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1974

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#132771

Slight bending to form of both. Would need to be seen by a professional jeweler to become wearable.