Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 2nd to 4th century CE. A stunning pair of matching Roman earrings, comprised of 18K gold hoops, 14K gold lengths of chain and fresh water pearl danglers. The Romans actually invented the "hoop earring" which developed around 300 BCE. Hoop earrings on occasion were ornamented with fancy danglers as we see with these gorgeous works of wearable art. The hoop form of these earrings may represent an abstract coiling snake which symbolized immortality and was a popular Roman motif. Size: 3" L (7.6 cm); hoops are ~ .875" in diameter (2.2 cm); Total Weight: 7 grams

Before cultured pearls were created in the early 1900s, natural pearls were very rare and incredibly expensive. Hence, they were typically possessed only by noble and wealthy individuals. According to the NOVA program entitled The Perfect Pearl,"At the height of the Roman Empire, when pearl fever reached its peak, the historian Suetonius wrote that the Roman general Vitellius financed an entire military campaign by selling just one of his mother's pearl earrings." (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/history-pearls.html)

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection

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#133275

Some normal bending to the hoop forms as shown. Catches do not open, but a reputable jeweler could possibly suspend these from a nice drop setting.