Еarrings

Description

Earrings - a traditional women’s silver ornament intended to be worn on the ears. The museum object consists of two dome-shaped earrings. The main sections are made of silver of 875 fineness, while the hooks and pendants are made of silver of 750 fineness. The surfaces of the dome-shaped sections bear linear ornamentation highlighted with niello. The individual components are joined by soldering. Movable fringe-like pendants made from thin silver wires were attached to the lower sections. The fringe pendants are missing from one earring, while nine wire pendants are absent from the other.
Dome-shaped earrings with movable pendants of this type were used as women’s decorative jewellery. When worn, the thin wire pendants moved and enhanced the visual appearance of the ornament. The use of silver of different finenesses for the main sections, hooks, and pendants reflects the selection of different metal alloys according to the function and construction of the individual components.
The museum object is an ethnographic source illustrating women’s adornment practices, the construction of dome-shaped earrings, the use of niello and soldering, and the production of fringe-like pendants from silver wire.