For Customers outside of USA
Gorgeous Matching Pair of Genuine Ancient Byzantine Solid Silver Elaborate Red (Glass) "Gemstone" Motif Earrings - Entirely Intact and Unrepaired.
CLASSIFICATION: Roman-Byzantine Silver Earrings.
ATTRIBUTION: Eastern Roman-Byzantine Empire (Constantinople), Eighth or Ninth Century A.D.
SIZE/MEASUREMENTS:
Approximate Diameter of Hoops: 16 x 13 millimeters.
Approximate Dimensions of Dangle/Fob: 26 millimeters (length) x 24 millimeters (breadth) x 9 millimeters (thickness).
Approximate Overall Length (Hoop and Dangle): 41 millimeters.
Weight: 6.65 grams (the pair).
CONDITION: Excellent and entirely intact. Unrepaired. Professionally conserved.
DETAIL: This is a very handsome, very rare, intricately crafted and classy pair of solid silver and absolutely genuine ancient Byzantine earrings. The style as you can see is in a single word, "timeless". These are gorgeously crafted fully functional earrings from in excess of one thousand years ago. As exclusive then as they are now, they are solid silver. As you can see they are very elaborate, each possessing a drop consisting of three hollow-cast forms attached to another single cast form which has a red glass "gemstone" inset. These earrings are entirely original, not a reconstruction. These would have cost some poor Roman-Byzantine nobleman dearly. Was it to impress a girl? Please the wife? In any event, they were without a doubt costly and fashionable. This matching pair of earrings is entirely intact and unrepaired. If you would like to wear these in a more modern and convenient style, we would be happy to mount them for you onto sterling silver French hooks, leverbacks, or ball-stud dangles. Thus you could wear and removed them conveniently, yet without modifying or altering the original earrings. However you could wear them as they were originally intended as well - they are fully intact and functional.
These are exquisitely crafted earrings done in a classically elaborate and intricate Byzantine/Roman/Medieval-Eastern European style. The "gemstones" are red colored glass, and in designed to mimic ruby. The earrings are entirely intact, and of undiminished integrity. The Romans and their Byzantine successors were very fond of jewelry and personal ornamentation, making wide use of very ornate belt buckles, brooches, appliquªs, bracelets worn both on the forearm and upper arm, rings, earrings, hair pins, and pendants. Whether as they are or alternatively mounted onto contemporary French hooks, leverbacks, or ball-stud dangles, these could be conveniently and comfortably worn today, a wonderfully evocative reminder of the glory which was once Rome. Absolutely guaranteed you are very unlikely to ever find any one else which has a set of earrings like these. And absolutely guaranteed to draw oohs and aahs of appreciation for not only the stunning earrings themselves, but for the class and distinction of the owner wearing them.
HISTORY: After gold, silver was the metal most widely used in jewelry. The oldest silver artifacts date from ancient Sumeria about 4000 BC. Silver was widely used as coinage due to its softness, brilliant color, and resistance to oxidation. In ancient cultures, especially in Rome (and the later Roman Empire, the "Byzantines"), silver was highly prized for jewelry and ornamental work. During the European Middle Ages silver was the principal material used for metal artwork. The art of silver work flourished in the Renaissance, finding expression in virtually every imaginable form. The use of silver in jewelry making became enormously popular in the 17th century. Silver was often as support in settings for diamonds and other transparent precious stones, in order to encourage the reflection of light. Though less costly than gold, silver was nonetheless the domain of royalty and the wealthy throughout most of the history of mankind.
The "gemstones" contained within these earrings are of course constructed of glass. The Romans were the first to mass produce glass articles, and this included glass jewelry and gemstones. The Romans and their successors in the East, the Byzantines (and Eastern Europe in general), were very fond of elaborate jewelry and other personal adornments. Typical jewelry included bracelets worn both on the forearm as well as upper arm, rings, earrings, and pendants. In the ancient world, glass was enormously costly jewelry, not only for the Romans of the first century, but going back 3,000 years old to ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Sumeria. Though glass jewelry, especially gemstones, have been fashioned for over 3,000 years, very little is known about the production of glass in the ancient world.
The ancient Egyptians fashioned amulets, beads, and small vessels out of a material known as faience, an ancient precursor of glass created by crushing quartz sand and mixing it with an alkali binder and mineral oxides to provide color. Written records from ancient Mesopotamia refer to the manufacture of glass, describing the manufacturing process as difficult and secret. Ancient lumps of glass have been discovered in the area and dated as far back as 4,000 B.C. Around 1,500 B.C. two new production techniques gave rise to more frequent manufacture of glass in Egypt and Mesopotamia. Both techniques involved the use of molten glass rods, either wrapped around a mud core, or placed within a mold. However the end product was nonetheless frightfully expensive, and the process lengthy.
Finally around the 1st century B.C. glass blowing techniques were developed, wherein a blob of molten glass was inflated either free form or into a mold by blowing through a hollow metal blowpipe. Glass blowing became widespread during the later Roman Empire, and the inexpensive process created huge demand for glass products, including jewelry. Syria became the "glass factory" of the Roman Empire and glassware came to be widely disseminated throughout the Roman Empire. Glass remained expensive through the 17th century, and glass gemstones though less expensive than natural gemstones, were still expensive. The "gemstones" in "costume" jewelry were generally made from colored amber. Short of genuine precious and semi-precious gemstones, glass "gemstones" were still the domain of more costly pieces.
The Byzantine Empire was the eastern remainder of the great Roman Empire, and stretched from its capital in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul, Turkey) through much of Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, and small portions of North Africa and the Middle East. Prior to the fifth century collapse of the Western Roman Empire, one of Rome's greatest emperors, Constantine the Great, established a second capital city for the Roman Empire in the East at Byzantium, present day Turkey. Constantine The Great sought to reunite the Roman Empire, centered upon Christian faith, by establishing a second "capital" for the Eastern Roman, away from the pagan influences of the city of Rome. Established as the new capital city for the Eastern Roman Empire in the fourth century, Constantine named the city in his own honor, "Constantinople".
After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, the Eastern Roman Empire, the "Byzantine Empire", lasted for another thousand years as the cultural, religious and economic center of Eastern Europe. At the same time, as a consequence of the fall of the Western Roman Empire, most of the rest of Europe suffered through one thousand years of the "dark ages". As the center of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople was one of the most elaborate, civilized, and wealthy cities in all of history. The Christian Church eventually became the major political force in the Byzantine Empire. In Byzantine art, God rather than man stood at the center of the universe. Constantine the Great is also credited with being the first Christian Roman Emperor, and was eventually canonized by the Orthodox Church. Christianity had of course been generally outlawed prior to his reign.
Under the Byzantine Empire, Christianity became more than just a faith, it was the theme of the entire empire, its politics, and the very meaning of life. Christianity formed an all-encompassing way of life, and the influence of the Byzantine Empire reached far both in terms of time and geography, certainly a predominant influence in all of Europe up until the Protestant Reformation. In Byzantine art, God rather than man stood at the center of the universe. Representations of Christ, the Virgin, and various saints predominated the coinage of the era. The minting of the coins remained crude however, and collectors today prize Byzantine coins for their extravagant variations; ragged edges, "cupped" coins, etc. Other artifacts such as rings, pendants, and pottery are likewise prized for their characteristically intricate designs.
SHIPPING: These antiquities come from a number of collections which by and large originated here in Eastern Europe. As well, additional specimens are occasionally acquired from other institutions and dealers, principally in Eastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. All of these artifacts are now in the United States and are available for immediate delivery via U.S. Mail. All purchases are backed by an unlimited guarantee of satisfaction and authenticity. If for any reason you are not entirely satisfied with your purchase, you may return it for a complete and immediate refund of your entire purchase price. A certificate of authenticity (COA) is available upon request.
Our order fulfillment center near Seattle, Washington will ship your purchase within one business day of receipt of your personal check or money order. If you wish to pay electronically, we accept both PayPal and BidPay. However we ask that you PLEASE WAIT before remitting until we have mutually agreed upon method of shipment and shipping charges and you understand our PayPal limitations and policies (stated here). We will ship within one business day of our receipt of your electronic remittance.
A certificate of authenticity (COA) is available upon request. We prefer your personal check or money order over any other form of payment - and we will ship immediately upon receipt of your check (no "holds"). Please see our "ADDITIONAL TERMS OF SALE."
