Carved lava is one of my absolute favorite materials to find in antique jewelry, especially because it was one of the main materials used in carving workshops in Naples and Torre del Greco, Italy, during the 19th century. Though many of these workshops focused on working in coral, lava became increasingly popular with tourists traveling through Southern Italy on their Grand Tour, and was used to evoke the ancient mysteries and splendors of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Despite being called "lava," it is actually a material known as tuff, a compacted form of volcanic ash, which is just the right hardness for perfectly detailed, high relief carvings such as these. This pair of simple but exquisite earrings likely dates to the 1880s or 1890s, based on the style of setting and hook, and features two magnificently carved Bacchantes, complete with ivy in their hair and slightly dreamy, far-away expressions. In Roman mythology, Bacchantes were the female followers of Bacchus, the god of wine (the Roman analog to the Greek Maenads, followers of Dionysus). Ivy was sacred to Bacchus, and worshippers of the god believed a wreath of ivy would protect them from their frenzied rituals.
These earrings are in perfect condition. Both cameos are completely intact, with no damage to the carvings. The earrings measure 1" from the top of the hook to the bottom of the setting, and just over 0.5" across.
