Antique Vintage Nouveau 925 Sterling Silver Gold Wash Filigree Earrings 10.5 g

  

Listing description by: Dayna M. Markings : Unmarked, tested, and guaranteed.

Handmade during the Art Nouveau era. Composed of 925 sterling silver with gold wash. The earrings have a floral design with a large triangular motif with dangling accents.

Beautiful filigree bead work with cut-out swirl designs adorn the earrings. Complete with screw-on backings for secure wear on pierced and un-pierced ears. Some of the gold wash is coming off and displaying the silver below.

The price has been reduced to reflect this. This listing is for the item only. This was very true due to the gorgeous designs that came out of this period.

This era focused on women and the beauty of nature and the pieces were often large. Enamel was a common material used in Art Nouveau jewelry as the period was more about the importance of the design over the materials used to create it. The Art Nouveau period happened before the start of the first World War, when mass manufacturing took over the production of many products, including some jewelry. 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 6th and 3rd centuries BC. 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.