Joden Girl

Baubles, Bling and Curious Things

Heart-themed jewelry is always a brave choice.  It tends to create strong feelings; people either love it or they don’t.  There’s no middle of the road.  You’re either all in or all out.  For a very long time, I was firmly in the latter category.  I was vehemently against any and all heart jewelry.  But over time, my own heart has softened.  Don’t get me wrong… there is still an over-abundance of tacky heart jewelry.  But we also have some great heart pieces, too!  In fact, there are several on our site, like these…

There is something to love about each of these pieces.  Estate jewelry like this has much to offer, including great value.  Sometimes I find myself on the fence about a piece, especially when there are some great aspects but also something that gives me pause.  Recently, we added these vintage heart earrings to our collection.  They’re made from 18-karat yellow gold.  Higher karat gold nearly always signifies jewelry that is particularly well-made and stylish.  

A 10mm flat-backed gold bead sits atop a heart-shaped piece of rock crystal quartz.  Silky smooth to the touch, this colorless gem has been frosted – giving it a foggy appearance.  A high-polish fitted bezel surrounds the heart and is attached to the bead.  As earrings often do, these unique pieces mirror each other.  One has a bezel set ruby on the left side and the other has one on the right side.  These opaque rubies showcase a hue that is more pink than red and have a combined weight of approximately 1.00 carat. They measure 1.5 inches from the top to the bottom.  Typically, I choose small earrings.  I don’t care for anything that is heavy or awkward in the ear.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover that these hearts are comfortable.  

A peek at the back of the gold ball reveals a couple interesting details.  There is, of course, the “750” hallmark, noting the purity of the gold.  There is also a star, and the letters “VA”.  The letters tell us that the earrings were made in Varese… a city in Northern Italy.  The star tells us that they were made after 1970.  A hinge between the two pieces allow them to sway back and forth with the movement of the body.  Italian gold jewelry is celebrated for its superior quality and craftsmanship; these modern earrings are in excellent condition and priced at just $1400.00.   It’s truly a question of personal style…  what do you think?  Are these heart earrings hot?  Or not?

“You can go to a museum and look, or come to us and touch.”

Written by Carrie Martin

Photos by Dana Jerpe