Art Deco Platinum, Opal & Diamond Drop Earrings

A spectacular pair of earrings that were made in the 1920s.  They are platinumDerives from the Spanish word ‘platina’ meaning ‘little silver’. Acknowledged since the 1900s, platinum’s durability and natural brightness has been and still is today highly treasured A metallic element prized for its rarity, whiteness, high tensile strength and insusceptibility to corrosion, platinum first became widely used in jewellery in the late ninete… and have each been set with a large opalOpals occur in a range of body colours from white, black or grey, bright orangey red and a pale watery colour. The most precious opals show strong colour contrast and generally have a dark body colour with a vivid array of colour play..  The clawA precious metal prong used to hold a gemstone in place. set opals are well matched displaying vivid flashes of blue and green with red undertones and have a total estimated weight of nearly 10 caratsThe unit of weight for a diamond or other gemstone and also for a pearl. Abbreviated ‘ct’, 1 carat is equal to 0.2 grams. In reference to gold, a unit of purity or fineness of gold and gold alloy, expressed as a number out of 24 parts by weight, e.g. ’24 carat’ signifies pure gold, ’18 carat’ 18/24th gold in the alloy, et cetera.  Also abbreviated as ‘c….  The pierced platinum border has been set with graduated diamonds that compliment the opals beautifully.