Pair of earrings; Rome, 4th century.

Pair of earrings; Rome, 4th century.
Gold.
Measurements: 1.5 cm (diameter).
A pair of gold earrings distinguished by their simple design, which is accented with a decoration of spheres. During the Roman period, there was a great fondness for ornamentation featuring gold, gemstones, and their substitute, glass paste, in both engravings and cameos. Patrician families possessed large collections of these pieces, and after the fall of the empire, the barbarians incorporated them into their own treasures, passing them down from generation to generation (mostly in the Germanic region) until the time of Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Empire, and so on.