Antique Mediterranean Coral Drop Earrings

An absolutely timeless style, coral drop earrings have been popular for so long that the oldest known examples date back to Ancient Greece and Rome, and it is no surprise that the neoclassical and archeological revival trends of the 18th and 19th centuries resurrected the trend. These elegant, simple coral drop earrings appear to be a marriage of older and newer components (a testament to the enduring popularity of this style)- the drops themselves, with their beautiful gold caps reminiscent of fluted columns, appear to be mid to late Victorian, with well-matched coral beads and lever back hooks being added a bit later. All of the coral is the warm, deep orange of undyed Mediterranean coral, most likely originally carved in Italy. The angular style of the gold lever back hooks leads me to believe that the conversion was done during the middle of the 20th century, potentially between the 1930s and 1960s, when this style of earring hook was most popular. It is highly likely that the drops were originally on lever back findings, and that this conversion was done so that they could be worn on pierced ears. Though the color of the gold caps on the coral drops, and the gold of the hooks, is slightly different, all of the gold tests as 14k, with the hooks themselves having as lightly rosy hue.

Earrings are in excellent condition, with no damage or drying out of the coral. The hooks snap securely in place. Earrings measure 2.5" from top of hook to bottom of coral drop.