A pair of late eighteenth century emerald earrings, set in high carat yellow gold, each formed of three articulated parts, jeweled with variously sized square cut emeralds to the textured surface mounts, with original back-to-front ear closures, possibly intended as children’s earrings given their relatively small size compared to similar historical examples, unmarked, Catalan, circa 1790, length 2.5 in, 8 grams.

Classically Spanish are the distinctive gold and gem-set Iberian and Catalan earrings, significant for their large size and substantial length. These earrings are often set with emeralds, hessonite garnets, and occasionally amethysts. Both Portugal and Spain had colonies in South America, yielding large quantities of diamond, topaz, emerald, garnet, aquamarine, and chrysoberyl. This resulted in an increase in popularity of gem-set jewelry in these regions, yielding a range of spectacular pieces during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.