Meiji 18K Rose Gold & Mixed-Metal Shakudo Fan Earrings
browse these categories for related items...
Directory: Estate Jewelry: Gold: Victorian: Pre 1900: Item # 1191486
Directory: Estate Jewelry: Gold: Victorian: Pre 1900: Item # 1191486
SOLD, PLEASE VISIT US AGAIN!
SOLD, PLEASE VISIT US AGAIN!
A very pretty pair of Shakudo earrings in the form of partially folded fans. The dark metal surfaces are delicately enhanced with silver cranes amid gold plum blossoms, rocks and tree stumps. The crane was used in Japanese art to symbolize longevity. The fans are suspended from 18K rose gold wires. After the collapse of the feudal system in Japan, the artists who created elaborately decorated swords turned to jewelry as a way to express their creativity. Sometimes shakudo pieces were turned into jewelry with the addition of later mountings, but in this case the earring fittings appear to be original. It is also rather unusual for shakudo jewelry to have gold findings rather than silver.
A very pretty pair of Shakudo earrings in the form of partially folded fans. The dark metal surfaces are delicately enhanced with silver cranes amid gold plum blossoms, rocks and tree stumps. The crane was used in Japanese art to symbolize longevity. The fans are suspended from 18K rose gold wires. After the collapse of the feudal system in Japan, the artists who created elaborately decorated swords turned to jewelry as a way to express their creativity. Sometimes shakudo pieces were turned into jewelry with the addition of later mountings, but in this case the earring fittings appear to be original. It is also rather unusual for shakudo jewelry to have gold findings rather than silver.
Origin: Japan, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: maximum width 11/16”; 1-11/16” long to top of earwire.
