Antique jewelry glossary

Welcome to our extensive antique jewelry glossary with around 1,500 jewelry related entries.If you feel you are missing an explanation, feel free to let us know and we will add it.

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z     all

Hoop earring

A type of earring in the form of a curved wire or band that extends somewhat like a hoop below the lobe and from which was suspended some type of pendant. Some such Roman jewelry earrings were threaded with gemstones and glass beads. A type of earring that is a penannular hoop having at one end the figure of an animal or human head and then tapering to the other, thin, end that passes through the lobe. Sometimes the decoration is not an animal head but the forepart of a horse.

From: An Illustrated Dictionary of Jewelry, autor: Harold Newman, publishers: Thames and Hudson