Earrings

PeriodCirca 1860 - 1880

Place MadePossibly New York or New Jersey, U.S.A.

MediumArtificial tortoiseshell, gold filled wire

Dimensions3.5 × 1.5 × 0.38 in. (8.9 × 3.8 × 1 cm)

ClassificationsJewelry

Credit LineMuseum Collection

Object number2024.500

DescriptionA pair of women's earrings, of artificial tortoiseshell. The small ovoid upper panel attaches to three graduated shaped panels, including a large outer partial ring, widening at the bottom and with tiny raised studs around the outer rim; a medial panel, with a shaped triangular lower section from which dangles a 3/8" diameter bead; and a small inner ring which fits neatly into the medial panel's central opening. The earrings are fitted with fine gold filled French back wire.
Curatorial RemarksThese bold and stylish earrings are constructed to resemble natural tortoiseshell, a long-standing favorite material for hair combs, jewelry, and accessories throughout the 19th century. Authentic tortoiseshell, made from the Hawksbill sea turtle, grew increasingly expensive. Mass production and the burgeoning chemical industry provided a substitute. Chemically treated cotton fiber, known as cellulose, could be transformed into a semi-synthetic material that could be colored, dyed, molded, and fashioned into everything from jewelry to false teeth. The earliest experiments with celluloid began in the late 1850s, and refined around 1877. Celluloid can be considered the first true modern "plastic," which is simply the Greek word for "molded."

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