Antique Paste Pavé Earrings
More than likely beginning life as buttons, beautiful black dot pastes* have been set into silver with gold washed backs to create a lovely set of antique earrings. Marvelously petite in scale, very white and sparkling pastes have been placed very close together to cover the entire surface of the setting (pavé style). The mount has the configuration of an undulating six-sided form. Smaller pastes form a border around a cluster of larger ones with the emphasis on the massed versus individual stone effect. The underside displays a slightly domed, bulbous shape.
Condition: Excellent for the pastes; later 15k gold ear wires added; a bit of silvery grey shows through between the pastes.
Measurements: Just a tad more than ½ of an inch (1.3 cm) in diameter and more than ¾ of an inch ( 2 cm) in total length including ear wires. This pair of antique earrings has a weight of 3.0 grams.
Date: Circa 1800
*For information regarding black dot paste, please refer to the section on our website entitled Reference-Helpful Terms & Glossary.
