The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of June 16, 2026

A pair of gold earrings features triangular openwork frames suspended from thin hooked wires, with pearls nestled in wire loops. Three pendants dangle from each base; on the left, the central pendant holds a glass bead, a pearl, and a teardrop emerald, while the outer pendants are partial. On the right, the pendants terminate in iridescent pearls and a green stone. The warm gold gleams softly against a neutral gray background.

Earring (one of a pair)

600s

Byzantium, early Byzantine period

gold, pearls, glass, and emeralds
Overall: 10.2 x 4.5 cm (4 x 1 3/4 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1947.178.b
Location: 104 Late Antiquity

Did You Know?

This piece of jewelry was worn by a woman in the fashionable courts of Byzantium. Decorated with pearls, glass, and emeralds, these gold earrings are delicate, yet eye-catching. Do you think these chandelier-style earrings would be fashionable today?
  • found at Medinah el Fayoum, Egypt; (Dr. Jacob Hirsch, New York).
  • {{cite web|title=Earring (one of a pair)|url=false|author=|year=600s|access-date=16 June 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1947.178.b