Antique-Revival Carnelian Drop Earrings

Description

Our opulent 14K gold overlay drop earrings with carnelian cabochons are based on an original gold necklace by the Castellani family made in Italy before 1925. The original Campana necklace, in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, combines ancient carnelian scarabs (ca. fifth or fourth century B.C.) with granulated gold. The Castellani family’s best- known designs, which they called archaeological jewelry, were inspired by exquisite Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities excavated in Italy.

Produced in cooperation with the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

14K gold overlay with carnelian cabochons. 2''L. Pierced, with gold-filled wires.

Art History

For much of the nineteenth century in Rome (ca. 1814–1927), three generations of the Castellani family manufactured fine gold jewelry for a wealthy clientele. Jewelry from the workshop of Castellani often featured granulation, an exacting method of fusing together tiny droplets of gold, as well as intricate micromosaics, elaborate enameling, and carved gemstones.