Pair of earrings; Roman Empire, 1st-2nd century AD.

Pair of earrings; Roman Empire, I-II centuries AD.
Gold and garnets.
Provenance: collection of the Barcelona jeweler O. Sardà, formed between 1968 and 1983.
Measurements: 2,1 cm diameter.
Pair of Roman earrings with gold structure and garnet cabochons set. They present a usual structure within the Roman jewelry, a flattened and thick arch built by means of forged sheet, which is prolonged with curved gold threads to form the clasp. On the front there is a teardrop-shaped cabochon, in a closed setting and flanked by filigree turnings, and at the base they are decorated with a garland of hoops and granulated flowers, originally adorned with smaller cabochons on both sides. This is an eloquent example of Roman jewelry, which had in filigree and granulation its two favorite techniques, both constructive and decorative, and often included semiprecious stones such as carnelian, garnet, rock crystal or amethyst.