Antique Lever Back Earrings
Early 20th Century Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, Yellow Gold
1860s French Napoleon III Antique Lever Back Earrings
Agate, Gold
15th Century and Earlier Greek Greek Revival Antique Lever Back Earrings
Ruby, Emerald, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
Early 20th Century Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Antique Lever Back Earrings
Coral, Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
1890s Unknown Victorian Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Silver
15th Century and Earlier Greek Greek Revival Antique Lever Back Earrings
Ruby, 18k Gold
15th Century and Earlier Greek Classical Greek Antique Lever Back Earrings
Emerald, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
1850s British Early Victorian Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, 14k Gold, Silver
Early 1900s Edwardian Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Silver
1920s Unknown Art Deco Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century American Antique Lever Back Earrings
Tourmaline, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1880s Victorian Antique Lever Back Earrings
Amethyst, Diamond, 18k Gold
15th Century and Earlier Italian Contemporary Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, 9k Gold, Rose Gold, Silver
Early 20th Century French Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1890s Victorian Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
1920s Unknown Art Deco Antique Lever Back Earrings
White Diamond, White Gold, Platinum
Early 1900s Italian Artisan Antique Lever Back Earrings
Brass
Early 20th Century Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 20th Century Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold
Early 1900s Edwardian Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
15th Century and Earlier Italian Contemporary Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, 9k Gold, Rose Gold, Silver
1880s American Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, Black Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century European Art Deco Antique Lever Back Earrings
Zircon, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century European Art Deco Antique Lever Back Earrings
Zircon, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century European Art Deco Antique Lever Back Earrings
Zircon, Yellow Gold
Early 1900s Victorian Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
1920s Art Deco Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold
Late 18th Century British Georgian Antique Lever Back Earrings
White Diamond, 18k Gold
Early 20th Century Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 19th Century American High Victorian Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, Quartz, Gold, 14k Gold, Silver, Copper
Late 19th Century Unknown Revival Antique Lever Back Earrings
14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Early 20th Century Art Deco Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
18th Century Georgian Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, Yellow Gold
Mid-19th Century French Victorian Antique Lever Back Earrings
Yellow Gold
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Lever Back Earrings
Pearl, Natural Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Green Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Antique Lever Back Earrings
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Antique Lever Back Earrings
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Lever Back Earrings
Pearl, Natural Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Lever Back Earrings
Pearl, Natural Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Early 1900s French Belle Époque Antique Lever Back Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Victorian Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Antique Lever Back Earrings
Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Early 20th Century Unknown Belle Époque Antique Lever Back Earrings
Garnet, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, Platinum
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Antique Lever Back Earrings
Pearl, Natural Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 1900s French Belle Époque Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Antique Lever Back Earrings
Onyx, Pearl, Natural Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 1900s French Belle Époque Antique Lever Back Earrings
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Antique Lever Back Earrings
Pearl, Natural Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Antique Lever Back Earrings
Onyx, Pearl, Natural Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Antique Lever Back Earrings
Pearl, Natural Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Go...
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Antique Lever Back Earrings
Pearl, Natural Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 1900s French Belle Époque Antique Lever Back Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Natural Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Lever Back Earrings
Pearl, Natural Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
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Why Gold Shines in Jewelry Craftsmanship
Gold is the feel-good metal, the serotonin of jewelry. Wear vintage and antique gold necklaces, watches, gold bracelets or gold rings and you feel happy, you feel dressed, you feel, well, yourself.
Gold, especially yellow gold, with its rich patina and ancient pedigree going back thousands of years, is the steady standby, the well-mannered metal of choice. Any discussion of this lustrous metal comes down to a basic truth: Gold is elementary, my dear. Gold jewelry that couples the mystique of the metal with superb design and craftsmanship achieves the status of an enduring classic. Many luxury houses have given us some of our most treasured and lasting examples of gold jewelry over the years.
Since its founding, in 1837, Tiffany Co. has built its reputation on its company jewelry as well as its coterie of boutique designers, which has included Jean Schlumberger, Donald Claflin, Angela Cummings and Elsa Peretti. There are numerous gold Tiffany classics worth citing. Some are accented with gemstones, but all stand out for their design and the workmanship displayed.
For the woman who prefers a minimalist look, the Tiffany Co. twist bangle (thin, slightly ovoid) is stylishly simple. For Cummings devotees, signature pieces feature hard stone inlay, such as her pairs of gold ear clips inlaid with black jade (a play on the classic Chanel black and tan), or bangles whose design recalls ocean waves, with undulating lines of lapis lazuli and mother-of-pearl. And just about any design by the great Jean Schlumberger is by definition a classic.
Even had he eschewed stones and diamonds, Southern-born David Webb would be hailed for the vast arsenal of heavy gold jewelry he designed. Gold, usually hammered or textured in some manner, defines great David Webb jewelry. The self-taught jeweler made very au courant pieces while drawing inspiration from ancient and out-of-the-way sources — East meets West in the commanding gold necklaces made by Webb in the early 1970s. The same could be said for his endlessly varied gold cuffs.
In Europe, many houses have given us gold jewelry that sets the highest standard for excellence, pieces that were highly sought after when they were made and continue to be so.
Numerous designs from Cartier are homages to gold. There are the classic Trinity rings, necklaces and bracelets — trifectas of yellow, white and rose gold. As a testament to the power of love, consider the endurance of the Cartier Love bracelet.
Aldo Cipullo, Cartier’s top in-house designer from the late 1960s into the early ’70s, made history in 1969 with the Love bracelet. Cipullo frequently said that the Love bracelet was born of a sleepless night contemplating a love affair gone wrong and his realization that “the only remnants he possessed of the romance were memories.” He distilled the urge to keep a loved one close into a slim 18-karat gold bangle.
BVLGARI and its coin jewelry, gemme nummarie, hit the jackpot when the line launched in the 1960s. The line has been perennially popular. BVLGARI coin jewelry features ancient Greek and Roman coins embedded in striking gold mounts, usually hung on thick link necklaces of varying lengths. In the 1970s, BVLGARI introduced the Tubogas line, most often made in yellow gold. The Tubogas watches are classics, and then there is the Serpenti, the house's outstanding snake-themed watches and bracelets.
A collection called Monete that incorporated the gold coins is one of several iconic BVLGARI lines that debuted in the 1970s and ’80s, catering to a new generation of empowered women. Just as designers like Halston and Yves Saint Laurent were popularizing fuss-free ready-to-wear fashion for women on the go, BVLGARI offered jewels to be lived in.
Since Van Cleef Arpels opened its Place Vendôme doors in 1906, collection after collection of jewelry classics have enchanted the public. As predominantly expressed in a honeycomb of gold, there is the Ludo watch and accessories, circa the 1920s, and the golden Zip necklace, 1951, whose ingenious transformation of the traditional zipper was originally proposed by the Duchess of Windsor. Van Cleef's Alhambra, with its Moroccan motif, was introduced in 1968 and from the start its popularity pivoted on royalty and celebrity status. It remains one of VCA’s most popular and collected styles.
Mention must be made of Buccellati, whose name is synonymous with gold so finely spun that it suggests tapestry. The house’s many gold bracelets, typically embellished with a few or many diamonds, signified taste and distinction and are always in favor on the secondary market. Other important mid-20th-century houses known for their gold-themed jewelry include Hermès and Ilias Lalaounis.
Find a stunning collection of vintage and antique gold jewelry on 1stDibs.
Finding the Right Lever-back-earrings for You
Ear piercing is very popular everywhere in today’s world. As a result, it is difficult to overstate how much everyone pines for a dependable pair of earrings. Modernist drop earrings, glamorous Victorian hoops, geometrically complex chandelier earrings — you can’t go wrong with this must-have accessory. For hundreds of years, lever-back earrings have been a part of this category of alluring jewelry.
The ancient Greeks fashioned earrings from gold that had a similar snapping mechanism to modern-day lever-back earrings. Lever-back earrings, as we know them, have come in and out of fashion over the decades, such as in the Georgian era. The lever back used on earrings in Europe eventually made its way across the Atlantic to jewelry design in the United States.
These accessories are typically thought of as the most reliable and safest way to wear earrings, so they are perfect for larger pieces with multiple stones. Famous jewelers such as Natkina and Tiffany Co. have crafted gorgeous lever-back earrings for their collections over the years.
Vintage lever-back earrings range in style and appearance and are a charming addition to any wardrobe. Who doesn’t love the finishing touch that earrings can provide for one’s ensemble? A good pair of lever-back earrings can be more eye-catching than a bracelet: Even the most beautiful bangle can be overlooked on the wrist, while earrings, worn on either side of your face, are almost guaranteed to be noticed.
Find a variety of contemporary and antique lever-back earrings designed in styles to match any jewelry collection on 1stDibs.
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