SALE TURQUOISE Chandelier Earrings Ancient Medieval Style 22K GV

Artisan Jewelry : Earrings : Turquoise : Ancient/Medieval Style : Chandelier Earrings : Sterling Vermeil

 

I was blessed with the opportunity to spend a summer in Greece and Turkey when I was in college, and the memories of the colors - especially the remarkable quality of light that is characteristic of these places - have stayed with me for a lifetime. The whites and deep blues of the houses, the extraordinary intense blue of the skies, and the honey-gold marbles of the ancient temples overlooking the sea reflect the exact colors of Nature in this glorious part of the world.

I was thinking of that cherished summer when I crafted these earrings, and the beautiful artisan jewelry I bought in the Monastiraki bazaar in Athens and throughout the islands. Much of Greek jewelry is still influenced by Turkish/Oriental styles like these earrings.

Turquoise literally means the gemstone of Turkey, and is widely used and beloved in their jewelry. They are designed in a style that was widely used in the ancient and early Medieval world: Greek, Roman and Byzantine earrings often used a gold bar pendant with loops to showcase a tier of gemstones.

These are 22 kt. sterling vermeil looped bars in that same style, very Oriental in influence, set with beaded and scrolled designs. They were made in Turkey, and may well have been adapted from some of the ancient earrings in the Topkapi Museum's magnificent jewelry collection in Istanbul. They showcase 3 faceted briolettes of 10mm. turquoise This is a fine grade of Chinese turquoise with a charcoal-gray matrix. The round American turquoise beads are 2 & 4mm. They hang from 22 kt. sterling vermeil beaded French earwires, and include rubber stoppers for security.

The earrings measure 1 & 5/8" long without the earwires. They are sumptuously beautiful to wear and remarkably lightweight on the ear given their magnificent appearance.

In gemstone folklore, turquoise has long been associated with good fortune, courage and wealth. The color is natural sky blue with hints of green, and the Chinese turquoise is probably stabilized (using an injection of wax, as turquoise is a soft gemstone). Almost all Chinese turquoise on the market today is stabilized.

NOTE: all my original designs and text are sole property of Strega2 Jewelry and protected under title 17 of the copyright laws. Any copying, adaptation or infringement will result in legal action.

Item ID: n/a396

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