Monday, March 5, 2018

Georgian Girandoles

"Ladies, are the principal objects of a Jeweller's Art, who mainly devotes his work to them..."  Augustin Duflos, Discours Preliminere, Recueil des Dessins, 1744


     I have coordinated yet again with Duchessa to offer some lovely reproduction jewelry - this time in the form of three styles of earrings!  This post is about one of those styles - the paste Girandole.

Oh yeah.  My precious.

     This post is about the lovely pair of paste (rhinestone) girandole that I now have available in my Etsy shop.  

     These style earrings, first seen in the middle of the 17th century, were very popular in the 18th as well.  The 18th century style consisted of a surmount, usually a bow motif, with three pear-shaped drops, the larger one at the center, suspended from a hook.  The hook allowed the drops to be detached, so that the surmount could be worn on its own when occasion required it.   This style had many reasons for being popular, one of which had to do with the fashion in clothes and hair, the others in the type of stones that were becoming available and the techniques in cutting them.  By the second half of the 18th century, there are a few slight changes in that they were also set with colored gemstones, diamonds, and develop a more vertical outline with an elongated central drop.
     
Engraved designs by j.D. Saint, for three girandoles and two pendeloque earrings, 1759
(Taken from Earrings from Antiquity to the Present 
by Daniela Mascetti and Amanda Triossi)
   
These make you feel gorgeous as you get into your best gown

     One of the things I love to do is offer specialty items for our living history and costuming needs.  But, wouldn't these look amazing for a wedding, prom, or special event?  YAAASSSSS!!!  Check out the ladies wearing the same style seen throughout the 18th century around the world.  I have accumulated many portraits and prints also on my Pinterest pages - so check them out as well.


Princess Marie Christine 1765 by Martin van Meytens

Princess Marie Christine de Borbon, 1770


Unknown woman, Mexican School, 1790s, Museo de América, Madrid

     These are CLIP-ON with a paddle back style and cushion.  Why?  The main reason is so that they will sit properly on your ear without falling forward or being uncomfortable.  Most earrings of this style in the time would possibly have had a wire that went through the BACK of your ear into the front.  Then it closed.  The closure often times connected to the front area and sometimes included a "wig loop." which allowed the earring to also be connected to the wig to take some of the pressure off of the ear due to their weight.  We do also see them in an earwire style with the earwire mounted fairly low on the back of the piece.  In this case, the clip-on style was the best choice when these were made to not only emulate that style but also to ensure they stayed on without pulling your earlobe.  These are surprisingly lightweight for their size - at 2 inches long by 2 inches wide.  They will also come with extra cushion pads in case one falls out and you lose it.  Stuff happens...  I will consider modifying a pair for an earwire if that is what someone really wants - but the item would not be able to be returned.

Georgian Gorgeous!  Also can be worn for Victorian Revival or Goth!

     They would look SO amazing with your best ball gown or just for an evening dinner because you FEEL like wearing them.  They come in two metal colors, gold and an oxidized silver plate.  The rhinestones are set and they sparkle in any light.  


Georgian Jewelry by Ginny Redington Dawes, page 106

Decisions Decisions!  Which one to wear.

     I am petite, and these did not overwhelm.  I found that higher hair - an updo or higher wig/hair versus wide looks the best when wearing them.  

Photos of me by Jim McGaughey