Victorian Round Pique Earrings

A pair of tortoisehell pique earrings, made around 1880. The tortoiseshellAn organic material (not a shell) that is obtained, not from a tortoise, but from the overlapping horny top plates (called ‘blades’) covering the carapace (upper shell) of certain marine turtles, preferably the hawksbill turtle found of the West Indies and Brazil and the loggerhead turtle found near the Celebes. was heated and gold and silverA metallic element which is malleable and ductile, and white in colour, making it ideal for use in jewellery. It is usually mixed with copper to improve its hardness.
designs were pressed into it. This method is no longer used, it is possible to find crude reproductions but the originals are far better in terms of craftsmanship.