Facetted Antique Amber, Coral and 9ctGold earrings.
The two Facetted Antique Amber beads are from the remains of an English Victorian, late 1800s, graduated strand of this “honey”- coloured Baltic Amber, the beads all of the same rich colour, all round beads handcut in the same all-over diaper pattern. When sourced in the south of England most of the beads were loose, some still on the original string.
Strands of this type of Baltic “honey” Amber were extremely popular in Victorian England. The other colour of Baltic Amber is yellow, a “butterscotch” yellow, and strands of this were also a Victorian era favourite. The “honey” Amber was virtually always cut round in the facetted diaper pattern, where the “butterscotch” variety was almost always cut ovoid and without facets. Both types are now rare.
The native-cut gemstone Corals have their origin in the Mediterranean. Of an excellent well-matched deep orange, handcut circa 1950s in Sth India, these Corals share with the Amber the gemstone qualification of “organic”; they are both non-crystalline gemstones, Amber being the fossilized resin of fir trees long gone from the Baltic regions, gemstone Coral coming from a particular type of maritime coral plant.