PEACOCK Rare 200 Year Old FRENCH Day to Night Dangle Dormeuse Earrings 18k Gold Blue Paste Pearls Georgian Napoleon Bonaparte

ABOUT:

These earrings amaze me because they have somehow, despite their delicate fabrication, managed to remain wearable despite their age of over 200 years. These could be in a museum of French regional jewelry.

These dangle earrings are set with blue paste stones with little seed pearls and one earring has a section of green enamel. The design and coloring reminds me of a peacock. These are "day to night" earrings, with tiny gold hooks at the back (that have somehow survived!) holding the larger dangles, which can be removed so the dormeuse tops can be worn alone. So they were named this to wear the simpler top portion during the day. Then when evening comes, they would add the additional larger dangles to make them more fancy for dinner or the ball.

Note they are imperfect, with one missing the green teardrop stone and several pearls missing, but they are still quite striking and special in this collectible realm of jewelry. They have the French antique hallmark used only in the early 1800s, so they are Georgian era, or more appropriately since they are French, from the period of Napoleon Bonaparte. Regional, or folk jewelry, is defined by a particular style confined to a particular region.

The earrings have a hooked lever back that are inserted from the back of the ear and clips into the front. This style of earring also has an additional wire loop at the top of the earwire for added stability to hold the earring in place.

Antique box not included. Please note the measurements as I have small hands and it can be difficult to decipher scale from photos.

SIZE & MEASUREMENTS:

They measure about 35mm top to bottom by 14mm at the widest.
They weigh 2.5g combined.

IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:
As mentioned above they are missing stones. As was customary for the period, the pearls were attached by the tiniest wire. However, they could likely be replaced by finding the right sized pearls to fit and secured into the bezels with adhesive. The green enamel panel that is missing from one earring could also be made to match with enamel paint. But considering age of over 200 years and their amazing fabrication, I felt they were special as is and didn't want to risk muddying them up since they are already quite beautiful.

Some solder spots along with patina to the gold, I did not attempt to clean them. Some of this may have been the original fabrication as they were expertly hand made. These old pieces always need a gentle hand as pretty much all French dormeuse have a dainty fabrication, and even more so these due to age - but they latch securely and the hinges function well. These French earrings are very popular, I’ve sold many and buyers often report back that it just takes a little practice and patience inserting the hooked end from behind and then latching them while on the ear but that they get the hang of it with time. : )
Still beautiful and appropriate for gentle handling considering age and fabrication.

Please note that all my pieces are pre-owned and in estate condition. They will have patina, surface wear, a few small nicks. These pieces may also have evidence of a sizing, some build up around the stones and / or inclusions seen under magnification, typical for antique pieces. I have mentioned any noticeable issues above and they are all still wearable and eager to be loved and accepted for many years to come, (the preservation of antique jewelry, even those with signs of their age and history, is important to me. : )
But - Please note due to age, this piece is not in mint condition. Pictures also serve as part of the description and condition report so please utilize the zoom feature which will magnify any wear significantly more than what is visible to the eye while wearing : )

I enjoy making my customers happy and matching unique pieces with new homes. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions! It means a lot to me that you are visiting my shop! : )

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Thanks so much for looking at my items!

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