The Chandelier is a classic design for earrings, always à la mode regardless of fashion season. Their timelessness takes quite a literal quality when we consider how long this design has existed!
The origins of chandelier earrings as we know them set with suspended stones are from the Middle East and India. It wasn’t until the age of British Colonialism and post colonialism that the style spread to the West, we can thank this period for numerous facets of design such as in architecture, for example the construction of the Brighton Pavilion inspired by what was discovered in India in the 18th and 19th centuries. Jewellery was no exception, especially since many of the stones used for jewellery pieces were acquired in this part of the world.
Such a style of earring really exploded in popularity when King George gave a pair of chandelier earrings to his daughter, then Princess Elizabeth, as a wedding present in 1947.
Fashion amongst young royalty, then as now, has a huge impact on trends.
However what is truly fascinating is that early forms of the chandelier design in the West existed long before this. Archaeological findings in Greece dating as far back as the 5th century BC, of gold filigree earrings, close cousins of the chandelier design where precious and semi-precious stones take the place of the suspended metal of filigree. Therefore while other aspects of Greek style may have long since disappeared from mainstream fashion such as the himation ,the chandelier earring has survived millennia to become the fabulous and diverse accessory it is today.
SuShilla Jewellery of course recognise the importance of this earring design and have taken great pleasure in making the most of the great many possibilities the chandelier earring has to offer jewellers at the drawing board. One need look no further than the Jasmine Chandelier earring or the Layla earrings to see that we have taken care to produce a style both entirely contemporary but also true to it’s Eastern and ancient origins.
Jasmine Chandelier Earrings
Layla Earrings with Iolite
New Chandelier earrings for next season will include these. Amelie Chandelier earrings with Iolite stones
