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Pair of Earrings with Polyhedral Beads, 400–500
Ostrogothic(?), found in Kerch (Ukraine)
Decorated with granulation; L. 1 1/16 and 1 in. (2.7 and 2.5 cm)
Purchase, 1898 (98.11.94-95)

Hoop earrings with fourteen-sided beads derived from late Roman jewelry and were adopted by eastern Germanic women in the fifth century. Versions have been found made of silver and gold, some with simple unadorned beads, others inlaid with semiprecious stones or glass. This pair, with granulated ornament and a hoop made of two twisted wires, represents a sophisticated and delicate example of the goldsmith's art.


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    Pair of Earrings with Polyhedral Beads, 400–500
    Ostrogothic(?), found in Kerch (Ukraine)
    Decorated with granulation; L. 1 1/16 and 1 in. (2.7 and 2.5 cm)
    Purchase, 1898 (98.11.94-95)