Two-thousand-year-old earrings--mystery solved!

[glitterata]

For those of you who have been following the saga of my mystery ebay earrings, I have an answer.

They''re Roman. They''re 24K gold. And they''re 2,000 years old.

On the advice of an antiques dealer, I took them to a shop that deals in antiquities.

"Can you help me solve a mystery?" I asked.
"What''s the mystery?" asked the proprietor.
"My earrings."
"That''s not a mystery. They''re Roman."
"ROMAN Roman? Like, from ancient Rome?"
"Yes. They''re 2000 years old."
"You''re kidding! And they''re genuine? They''re not reproductions?"
"Oh, yes. These are genuine."

He showed me a similar pair, larger and more elaborate but made with the same techniques, that he had for sale for $2,000. He told me if he had mine in his shop he would offer them for $700 or $800. And he said they were 24K gold.

I have to say, it seems crazy to me that you can buy 2,000-year-old Roman earrings made of 24K gold for less than $1000. You can barely get a decent 18K ring setting for that these days. Two thousand years old!

I''m glad I followed my gut and bought them for the sake of the mystery--and I''m even gladder that the answer turned out to be so deeply undisappointing.

I''m thinking about taking them to an appraiser who specializes in antiquities for a second opinion. But I would be so sad if they told me they''re not 2,000 years old after all. The antiquities dealer seemed so sure--I hope he knows his business.

 

[yssie]

Goodness!!

You've really been finding the most interesting things on ebay lately

I'm surprised by that price, too, though, it seems like something that old and historic would be worth an order or two more. I guess things are priced as the market for them dictates..

Congratulations on your acquisition, I hope the second opinion corroborates that first, but either way it's a great story to tell!

 

[DiamanteBlu]

Hey, wait a minute! Those are mine! I lost them in a previous life! LOL!

Seriously, though, congratulations on what seems to be a really cool find. I am from northern Italy and you wouldn''t believe the cool stuff you would dig up periodically!

 

[glitterata]

Thank you, ladies.

I''m not complaining, believe me! I just think it''s strange that something so old would cost less than something with zero history. If I''d known that sooner, I might have bought myself 2,000-year-old earrings years ago. (Not for as good a price, though.)

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

that''s very exciting!

 

[glitterata]

I forgot to include pictures:

 

[glitterata]

Okay, I''m convinced now: take a look at these ancient Roman earrings with very similar construction to mine.

Looking at these, and at other Roman earrings on the same site, I can see that the loop at the top of my earring--where the modern finding is attached--was originally where the hoop that goes through the ear hole hooks onto the earring. And the mysterious braided gold strip was originally the hoop that goes through the ear hole. Whoever added modern findings curved it down to get it out of the way.

 

[Indylady]

That is incredible! I''m also hoping that he is right!

 

[DiaDiva]

Glitter, you always have the amazing pieces but this one tops them all as the most fascinating piece. Don''t you just love the history behind them. I would love to know who used to own and wear them.

 

[VRBeauty]

Oh. My. Goodness.

What an incredible find!

Have you worn them?

I''m surprised too that you could get a piece of ancient history for so little...

 

[miraclesrule]

That''s just ca-razy!! You have been finding the most unusual treasures!! The linked earrings are so similiar. It''s almost like someone added onto to them because they didn''t have pierced ears. Way cool find.

 

[miraclesrule]

Date: 11/1/2009 6:37:21 PM
Author: DiamanteBlu
Hey, wait a minute! Those are mine! I lost them in a previous life! LOL!

Seriously, though, congratulations on what seems to be a really cool find. I am from northern Italy and you wouldn''t believe the cool stuff you would dig up periodically!

Hahaha, funny.

 

[glitterata]

Here''s another pair even more like mine:

Roman earrings from Syria, 2nd-4th century AD

 

[glitterata]

I found almost the exact earrings in the British Museum, two pairs:

First pair.
Department: Greek & Roman Antiquities
Registration number: 1914,1014.2
Location: G70/26

Second pair.
Second pair, front view.
Department: Greek & Roman Antiquities
Registration number: 1914,1014.4
Location: G70/26

Both were excavated in Samsun (Turkey). They're Roman, from the 3rd century.

I'm convinced! I'm convinced!

 

[oddoneout]

Good thing you went with your gut. The earrings are great and unique. How great is it that they''re very ol?

 

[glitterata]

Thank you for all the kind words!

Here's an ear shot. Wow, taking a photo of one's own ear is hard. I changed the screw-on findings to vermeil ear wires, which I think will be more secure.

 

[Fly Girl]

That is really amazing. What gorgeous earrings and what an awesome story!

Of course, they might be only 1700 years old, not 2000.

(j/k)

Thanks for sharing your story and the pictures. Enjoy wearing your very own Roman antiquities!

 

[Ara Ann]

WOW!!! How exciting!!! Curious, did you ask about the price on the one pair that''s for sale? It said price upon request...would be interesting to know how much those are going for!

Thanks for sharing your exciting story and pics with us!

 

[glitterata]

"Of course, they might be only 1700 years old, not 2000. (j/k)" --Fly Girl

Yeah, I know! Bummer. Should I send them back?

"Curious, did you ask about the price on the one pair that''s for sale? It said price upon request...would be interesting to know how much those are going for!" --Ara Ann

I did, but they haven''t answered my query yet.

Meanwhile, I found these two startlingly similar pairs listed on eBay, one for a little over $3,000 and the other for almost $4,000:

First pair.
Second pair.

Funny, now that I know what category to look under, the darn things are everywhere!

 

[VRBeauty]

Gliterata: This is such an incredibly cool find that I keep coming back to this thread. I''m thrilled that these earrings ended up with someone who really appreciates them!

BTW, were you looking for fertility charms?

 

[glitterata]

Date: 11/2/2009 9:57:35 PM
Author: VRBeauty
Gliterata: This is such an incredibly cool find that I keep coming back to this thread. I''m thrilled that these earrings ended up with someone who really appreciates them!


BTW, were you looking for fertility charms?

Thanks, Beauty! Nope, just earrings--at my age a fertility charm that worked would be really scary.

These do look like African fertility dolls, but I think that''s just a coincidence.

 

[jewelerman]

Date: 11/1/2009 6:26:51 PM
Author:glitterata
For those of you who have been following the saga of my mystery ebay earrings, I have an answer.

They''re Roman. They''re 24K gold. And they''re 2,000 years old.

On the advice of an antiques dealer, I took them to a shop that deals in antiquities.

''Can you help me solve a mystery?'' I asked.
''What''s the mystery?'' asked the proprietor.
''My earrings.''
''That''s not a mystery. They''re Roman.''
''ROMAN Roman? Like, from ancient Rome?''
''Yes. They''re 2000 years old.''
''You''re kidding! And they''re genuine? They''re not reproductions?''
''Oh, yes. These are genuine.''

He showed me a similar pair, larger and more elaborate but made with the same techniques, that he had for sale for $2,000. He told me if he had mine in his shop he would offer them for $700 or $800. And he said they were 24K gold.

I have to say, it seems crazy to me that you can buy 2,000-year-old Roman earrings made of 24K gold for less than $1000. You can barely get a decent 18K ring setting for that these days. Two thousand years old!

I''m glad I followed my gut and bought them for the sake of the mystery--and I''m even gladder that the answer turned out to be so deeply undisappointing.

I''m thinking about taking them to an appraiser who specializes in antiquities for a second opinion. But I would be so sad if they told me they''re not 2,000 years old after all. The antiquities dealer seemed so sure--I hope he knows his business.

Wow! my computer goes down for a few days and I almost missed the fun!Congrats on the serious jewelry find!This goes to show that we never stop learning about jewelry and the cultures it represents!One thing that comes to mind is that the dealer gave you a time period,but not a location of the earrings manufacture....These earrings dont look like any styles that ive seen in books or web sites that represent work done in ancient Rome or Greece(please keep in mind im NOT disputing the dealers identification of the earrings!)On one of the sites you found it mentioned that the earrings were Syrian.So what im wondering is what part of the world during this period of time did people wear this particular style...was it just Syria and this part of the world or was this style adapted from other parts of the world that wore mini forms of the dieties they worshipped.I hope we find out what diety this represents and in what part of the world the style orignated!
Glitterata, you need to buy more ancient gold jewelry so we have more to discuss!

 

[glitterata]

Date: 11/3/2009 11:54:16 AM
Author: jewelerman
Wow! my computer goes down for a few days and I almost missed the fun!Congrats on the serious jewelry find!This goes to show that we never stop learning about jewelry and the cultures it represents!One thing that comes to mind is that the dealer gave you a time period,but not a location of the earrings manufacture....These earrings dont look like any styles that ive seen in books or web sites that represent work done in ancient Rome or Greece(please keep in mind im NOT disputing the dealers identification of the earrings!)On one of the sites you found it mentioned that the earrings were Syrian.So what im wondering is what part of the world during this period of time did people wear this particular style...was it just Syria and this part of the world or was this style adapted from other parts of the world that wore mini forms of the dieties they worshipped.I hope we find out what diety this represents and in what part of the world the style orignated!

Glitterata, you need to buy more ancient gold jewelry so we have more to discuss!

Jewelerman, if you take a look at the links to the similar earrings, particularly the ones at the British Museum and the ebay ones, you'll see that they look pretty much identical to mine and were found at sites in Turkey, Syria, Jordan, and Israel believed to be from the 2nd-3rd century CE. During that period the Romans controlled the entire Mediterranean region, the Mideast, most of Europe, and parts of Asia and Africa, although the Empire was beginning to fray. So when they say the earrings are "Roman," they don't mean "made in the city of Rome"--they mean they were made in the Roman Empire using Roman styles and techniques. I bet the style originated in Rome, even if the earrings themselves didn't.

I now don't think these forms are supposed to represent human figures. Roman jewelers at the time often made earrings with very realistic-looking figures of the god Eros, maenads, and so forth, so I think if they wanted to make human figures they would make ones that looked more realistic. I think these earrings are more abstract. But I haven't yet figured out whether they motifs are supposed to represent anything or are just decorative.

It's weird to wear something that old in my ears.

I wish the earrings could talk! I want to ask them who made them, where, who wore them, and how they made their way through time and space to me.

 

[glitterata]

Date: 11/2/2009 7:09:35 PM
Author: Ara Ann
WOW!!! How exciting!!! Curious, did you ask about the price on the one pair that''s for sale? It said price upon request...would be interesting to know how much those are going for!


Thanks for sharing your exciting story and pics with us!

I heard back from them--they said $1800.

 

[Imdanny]

Congrats on the rare and beautiful find! I'm very glad for you!

 

[AGBF]

glitterata, I have been following along ever since you found the earrings. It has been a strange and very exciting journey. I only wish that I had had some knowledge to contribute! You have a very wonderful and rare find, something that could be in a museum. Given your love of the antique, you-out of everyone-truly deserve to own and to wear them; I hope that you will wear them in good health and happiness!

Hugs,
AGBF

 

[glitterata]

Thank you, Imdanny.

And thank you, Deb. I was hoping you'd seen this thread because these earrings are made of what I think of as Deb metal--high karat gold. I would love to see you wearing these! I bet they would look beautiful on you.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Wow, how incredible. I was wondering if you''d even risk wearing them, however, with the vermeil wires they look quite secure, plus I like the look a lot better.

Enjoy!!!

 

[LD]

Oh W

W. What a fantastic find. Well done!

 

[glitterata]

Thank you, MC and LD!

I''m wearing them now. I have little plastic backs on the wires to make sure they don''t come out of my ears. I''m not sure I really *should* be wearing something this old, but I just can''t resist. If they survived almost two millennia, they''ll probably survive a few years of me, right? I''m pretty gentle on my earrings.

One of them has a repair done with glue. When I thought they were Victorian I was planning to have a jeweler with a laser repair them, but now I think I''ll just leave them alone, glue and all. I don''t think glue can hurt 24K gold, but a laser could.