Antique Vintage Art Deco Sterling Silver Chinese Carved Nephrite Jade Earrings

  
Markings : SILVER, Tested and Guaranteed. Gram Weight : 14.5 Grams. Main Stone Measurements/Color : 17 mm long and 14.5 mm wide, Dark green hue with natural black and green striations throughout. Stone Treatment: The stones appear to be untreated, but we are not certified gemologists and cannot be sure. Item Measurements : The earrings measure 0.96" long and 0.82" wide. Earring Backing Style : Clip on backings. Your jeweler can easily convert these to the preferred backing style you desire. For Pierced or Non-Pierced Ears : Both. Notable Features : These earrings were handmade during the Art Deco era.

These absolutely gorgeous earrings were hand carved in China from Nephrite jade into a beautiful floral pattern. The nephrite has a dark green hue with natural striations of black and green throughout. The bold carved cabochon rests in an intricately designed sterling silver bezel setting. The detailed bezel features a unique hand twisted design which provides a complementary contrast to the deep green stone. There are filigree rope twists and rope twisted braids surrounding the exterior of the earrings, with granulated beaded accents and swirling spirals.

These stunning earrings are finished off with a filigree twisted back and clip on backings. Don't miss your opportunity to own this incredible piece of history.

This listing is for the item only. The Art Deco era is famous for being the "Gatsby" or "Roaring Twenties" era. A lot of gorgeous and timeless designs in jewelry came out of this period.

Jewelry from this period was most often crafted between 1920 and 1940. Art Deco jewelry sometimes featured white gold or platinum, geometric designs, European cut diamonds, filigree, and calibre cut stones that are specifically cut to fit the design of the piece. During the Art Deco period jewelers often made jewelry upon custom order, this would often take weeks to months to completely craft by hand.

Chinese export jewelry became popular during the late Victorian period and persisted until the 1960s. During this period, Chinese craftsmen were considered by far the best in the world. The rich and wealthy would custom-order a piece through their local jeweler, who would send the design off to China to be made and sent back to Europe. This lengthy process was very expensive, making Chinese export pieces highly desirable, then and now. Chinese stone cutters were considered some of the finest artisans in the world. They would spend years learning to hand-carve many different types of stones, and excelled in creating finely detailed pieces other artisans couldnt even hope to compare to. Their skill was so refined that they could even carve delicate stones like coral and jade. Chinese stone cutters were so talented that Victorian era European socialites would commission pieces from them, preferring the hefty price tag that came with such high quality work to the ready availability of Western stonework.

Filigree metalworking is a delicate form of art and has been found as early as 3,000 BC in Mesopotamia. It was perfected by the Phoenicians and Etruscan civilizations between the 6. It involves stamping out a design in metal and hand bending and twirling threads, combined with tiny beads, until a final motif emerges.

It is reminiscent of lace and considered one of the most difficult metalworking processes. Filigree is still a very popular technique in India and Asia. Jade is one of the oldest and most important gemstones, with a history dating over 7,000 years. Nephrite is more common than jadeite and although it is slightly softer than jadeite, it is considered tougher due to its denser structure. Nephrite was derived from the Greek word for kidney because it was thought that it could cure kidney disease.

Up until around 1863, Nephrite was believed to be the same as Jadeite. Nephrite can be distinguished from Jadeite from its lower level of translucency and luster.

Traditional Chinese jade typically refers to nephrite since there are no actual jadeite deposits located in China. Nephrite jade was used mostly in pre-1800 China, and is rare to see today.

Green nephrite is considered the most valuable nephrite, but translucent, white nephrite was considered the most valuable up until the introduction of fine Imperial jadeite jade during the 18th century. We do not undervalue packages for international customers as it is illegal. The item "Antique Vintage Art Deco Sterling Silver Chinese Carved Nephrite Jade Earrings" is in sale since Saturday, August 25, 2018. This item is in the category "Jewelry & Watches\Vintage & Antique Jewelry\Fine\Art Nouveau/Art Deco 1895-1935\Earrings". The seller is "abeautifultimeco" and is located in Fort Collins, Colorado. This item can be shipped worldwide.

• Ethnic Origin: Chinese
• Country/Region of Manufacture: China
• Style: Cluster
• Metal Purity: .925
• Main Stone: Jade
• Metal: Sterling Silver