A pair of nineteenth century earrings, comprising mirrored vitreous enamel decoration of a phoenix bird surrounded by glittering foliage, framed in embossed gilt metal with scrollwork and acanthus leaves, later shepherds earhooks, 3.25 in long by 0.75 wide, 10 grams, circa 1840. 

The transition between the Georgian period and the reign of Queen Victoria was a time of great change and modernization in both jewelry and the world at large. New wealth for the upper middle class in combination with an increasing supply of gemstones and mechanized jewelry processes resulted in a profusion of jewelry to meet rising demand. Naturalism was very much en vogue, and jewels were inspired by cultures ranging from Greece to Africa to Asia bringing new motifs to bear.