EARRING PROVENANCE:

From Federico's colonial gold collection that originally were being housed in his museum in Oaxaca...Most people know his name for his head turning turquoise jewelry, his romantic Oaxaca Dove jewelry,etc.,but most don't know that since a young man,he has been a avid collector of some of the most highly prized pieces of both gold & silver jewelry with the focus of his collection on Mexico & Native American. He has exquisite tastes & incredible knowledge for the "rare & unusual" with many pieces being over the top which are much like his own designs..

I feel honored to offer these earrings that came from his "Colonial-Vintage Gold Collection" & actually look like they belonged to Spanish royalty!They are from the late 1800's to the very early part of the 1900's.To get gold earrings this HUGE are EXTREMELY rare & VERY hard to find! They have a look & style like they should be in a Spanish Colonial Museum somewhere!!

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A NOTE:

In Oaxaca,this design is called "El Jardin" & later became one of Oaxaca's 5 most traditional designs.The Jardin is known for the "Bow" design. When the Spaniards came into Mexico during the 1500's,they brought with them their jewelry designs & this was one.

Goldsmiths living and working back then, crafted jewelry by hand and took painstaking care to ensure that the jewelry that was made was elegant & ornate & for the wearer,the pieces that were worn were a symbol of status and personal style. Financial status back then was not only determined by the size house you lived in,but also was determined by the clothes you wore & the jewelry they had & of course the materials in which the jewelry was made with..(I.E. Gold, Silver,Diamonds & other gemstones) The size of the jewelry also said alot about how much money you had..Being these are made of gold,along with the enormous size,the original owner of these no doubt, had to be wealthy..

NEVER do you find this size in real gold,but rather in the 1" to no more than 2" size & If you follow Mexican filigree jewelry,then you will know that this size earring in gold is impossible to find & not the easiest to come across..They have some "serious" statement going on! They are HUGE & weighty.

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THE EARRING DESIGN:

Made with a filigree technique,these are designed in 3 tiers that dictate their whopping 4-1/2" X 2-5/8" size..The 1st tier is the floral pearl top which is also removable & I must note,that from the 1800's to the turn of the century, they would make the ear wire to where it would go through the ear from the "backside" & once through the hole of the ear,it then would connect in the front(Opposite of how we do it today)This alone validates their age.(See photos) I will speak more about the top portion in a minute.

The 2nd tier is 2-5/8" wide,with pearls creating a floral pattern & then running along the middle of the of the top portion of the bow.The 3rd tier repeats the bow design with pearls continuing.All the pearls sit in their own little cup & then are sewn into the earring with wire that is then twisted to secure them.(See backside photos)

Now,about the tops...These can be worn with the earring OR can be taken off to wear alone!! If you find the 'Back to Front" wire to be hard,or you don't wear wires at all,what you can do is put a post stud in it's place(A pearl,a diamond,rubies,all gold,etc.) I put my ruby,gemstone cluster in the hole to show what I'm talking about!(See photos 25 through last photos)

** These have a lot of weight,so please pay attention to this before purchasing **

Multi Gemstone earrings in photos NOT Included