Indian Golden Bead Earrings

Description

In the Museum’s collection is an original necklace (Indian, 18th–19th century) with five graduated strings of close-strung, many-faceted gold beads. Our striking earrings adapts these original beads.

22K gold overlay. Matte finish. 7/8'' diam. Pierced, with gold-filled posts.

Art History

The tradition of jewelry making on the Indian subcontinent is characterized by a vast and complex heritage spanning at least five thousand years. Created and worn as symbolic expressions of religious beliefs, social and economic status, and only rarely for decorative use alone, the jewelry of India embodies a rich cultural significance far beyond the intrinsic value of its precious materials. Early Sanskrit texts emphasize the symbolic meanings attributed to gems and metals. Gold, first among precious things, and associated with the sun, is the abode of the Hindu goddess of good fortune, Lakshmi.