Pair of Omani Silver & Gilt Ear Ornaments

This unusual and superb pair of ornaments look like temporals or ornaments to be worn on the side of the head perhaps suspended from a headdress, but actually they were worn as earrings through pierced ears. The addition of the gold or gilding and the manner in which it has been applied is quite rare.

Almost certainly, they would have first been worn by the owner on her marriage day, and thereafter on special occasions.

The comprise large silver hoops partly wrapped in twisted silver wire and with bicone silver beads from which suspended are chains with stylised Hand of Fatimah’ finals. From the hoops hang large triangular elements with five main chains each of which terminate with round finials.

One earring has a subsidiary chain to one side, and the other has a subsidiary chain on each side. It could be that the one with only one of these subsidiary chains has lost the other one. However, earrings of this form often have uneven numbers of subsidiary chains and it is sometimes said that the chains were added as the owner had children and so developed to show the number of children the owner had.

The earrings are unusual for the central triangular element being wrapped with embossed gilded sheet, and the dangles being embellished with applied gilded round plaques. This marks them out as quite special. It is possible, likely even, that the earrings were decorated in this way as the wealth of the household to which the woman belonged grew. The way in which the main elements have been wrapped with gilded sheet can be seen on the reverse with the sheet being neatly folded over the silver edges.

The earrings are in very fine condition and have excellent age and patina.