Photos

Comments

• 

  Ethnic Embellishments January 18, 2014 at 11:23pm

  These earrings are quite a mystery.  Due to a faulty mouse, I missed an almost identical pair on eBay a while back.  As I had never seen them before, I thought that they might have been a one time occurrence, someone's own design and making.  Seeing them again now makes me believe that they are a genuine ethnic item with many pairs being made and worn in a traditional society.  One earring is stamped, but I cannot make out what it is.  I am thinking maybe North Africa- Algeria or Tunisia due to the snake motif and rich coral beads.....
• 

  SARAH CORBETT January 18, 2014 at 11:47pm

  really unusual, the eyes are in the style of adornment I have seen on bracelets from Ait Jellidassen, otherwise no connections leap out at me . great find !
• 

  Alaa eddine SAGID January 19, 2014 at 11:39am

  oh i remember these.

  Ditto Sarah, the eye is one of the highlight patterns in eastern Morocco in general, but coral beads are somehow finely cut and not of the type one can find in such remote areas, so are the links between coral beads and the hoops, but these rmind me of something i saw before

  Another feature is the way the coral bead in the mouth of the snake, it is very reminescent of a way of studding semi precious stone all over the mediterranean, Ottoman world and very commonly on Tunisian beauty and make up objects.....i guess they kinda inherited this from Italian, Sardianian, Maltese and Spanish tradition.

  Gut feeling is that this could very well be earrings coming from somewhere in Western Mediterranean

  We can not rule out Morocco though!!
• 

  Harald January 19, 2014 at 4:25pm

  An interesting pair! Never seem those before.

  Below is the very similar pair that was sold on ebay a few days ago.

  

   
• 

  Ethnic Embellishments January 19, 2014 at 4:50pm

  Yes Harald, That would me me who purchased them; i just replaced a coral bead.  I missed a pair about a year ago on eBay that sold for about $20!  My mouse did not work.  I was happy to find another pair again.  I new they were silver, not brass, so I did not mind the buy-it-now option as I did not want to loose out again.  The original pair was listed as "ethnic earrings" with no hint to origin.....
• 

  Ethnic Embellishments January 19, 2014 at 4:53pm

  I feel that the hallmark is a key to understanding where these are from.....

  
• 

  Alaa eddine SAGID January 19, 2014 at 5:07pm

  i can see a head seen from the side?
• 

  Ethnic Embellishments January 19, 2014 at 5:44pm

  I'll have to try to clean it up a bit more.  I was hoping the shape of the hallmark might assist us.