Some vintage earrings whisper. These apparently arrived with their own orchestra.
These extraordinary estate clip-on earrings date from approximately the 1950s–1960s and measure an enormous 4.5 inches long.
Each earring is built around a dense upper assemblage of mixed gold-tone, silver-tone and darkened metal chains, accented with an assortment of colorful and clear rhinestone/glass elements. From there, dozens of individual chains spill downward into a long, irregular fringe.
And yes, they move.
A lot.
The chains are different colors, textures, lengths and link styles, creating an almost deliberately chaotic waterfall of metal. Red, blue, amber, clear and iridescent glass/rhinestone accents peek through the upper construction as the earrings move.
The backs have clip-on findings and a thin padded material that appears and feels similar to leather or a leather-like material. I have not identified the exact material, so I'm leaving it at that.
These came from a large San Francisco estate collection of dramatic mid-century fashion jewelry. Many pieces from the collection were oversized, glamorous and unusually constructed, and this pair may be the most gloriously excessive of the bunch.
Details:
These are vintage and show age and surface variation appropriate to an older piece. Please examine the detailed photographs closely for construction and condition. The lifestyle images are provided to demonstrate approximate scale and styling; photographs of the actual earrings show the pair being offered.
They are strange. They are enormous. They are completely unnecessary.
Which may be exactly why somebody needs them.