Vintage Aquamarine Earrings
20th Century Drop Earrings
Aquamarine, 14k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1930s Art Deco Drop Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, Platinum
Late 20th Century Unknown Drop Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Stud Earrings
Aquamarine, 14k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1930s Modern Drop Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 20th Century Unknown Art Deco Drop Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
Vintage 1970s American Drop Earrings
Aquamarine, 14k Gold
1990s Contemporary Drop Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s Drop Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Retro Dangle Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1980s Unknown Retro Drop Earrings
Aquamarine, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Indian Art Deco Stud Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Contemporary Stud Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Contemporary Stud Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s Contemporary Stud Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
1990s Contemporary Stud Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1960s Drop Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1960s Drop Earrings
Aquamarine, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1980s Clip-on Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Enamel
Vintage 1960s Drop Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1970s Unknown Clip-on Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1980s Dangle Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, Platinum
Vintage 1980s American Modernist Clip-on Earrings
Aquamarine, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, Garnet, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1960s Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
Aquamarine, Gold, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1980s German Art Deco Clip-on Earrings
Gold Plate
20th Century European Stud Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, 18k Gold
Vintage 1950s Unknown Clip-on Earrings
Aquamarine, White Gold, Palladium
Vintage 1980s German Art Deco Clip-on Earrings
Gold Plate
Vintage 1980s German Art Deco Clip-on Earrings
Gold Plate
Vintage 1950s Clip-on Earrings
Late 20th Century American Modern Drop Earrings
Aquamarine, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s French Hoop Earrings
Aquamarine, Citrine, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1980s Italian Hoop Earrings
Diamond, Aquamarine, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1980s Contemporary Lever-Back Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Stud Earrings
Amethyst, Aquamarine, Citrine, Garnet, Topaz, Tourmaline, 18k Gold, Rose...
Vintage 1950s American Post-War Brooches
Crystal, Rhodium
Late 20th Century Italian Drop Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Drop Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Contemporary Drop Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
Late 20th Century Unknown Clip-on Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, 18k Gold
Vintage 1960s Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Thai Baroque Drop Earrings
Aquamarine, Ruby, Topaz, 18k Gold, Silver
Vintage 1930s Art Deco Clip-on Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, Platinum
20th Century Clip-on Earrings
Aquamarine, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1930s Clip-on Earrings
Aquamarine, White Diamond, Platinum
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Dangle Earrings
Aquamarine, Onyx, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1980s Clip-on Earrings
Aquamarine, 14k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1950s Clip-on Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, 18k Gold
1990s European Retro Lever-Back Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond
20th Century Unknown Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Aquamarine, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1970s Brazilian Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
Aquamarine, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Choker Necklaces
Aquamarine, Crystal
Early 20th Century Art Deco Drop Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, 18k Gold
Early 2000s Australian Modern Stud Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1980s British Retro Stud Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, 18k Gold
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Vintage Aquamarine Earrings For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Vintage Aquamarine Earrings?
The Legacy of Aquamarine in Jewelry Design
Perhaps the one gemstone that best embodies the glimmering blue of the ocean is aquamarine, not just in name but also in color. Aqua marina (Latin for water and sea), March’s birthstone, is often crystal clear and blue. Often affordable in price, vintage and antique aquamarine jewelry belongs in everyone’s jewelry box.
Aquamarine is a precious gemstone from the mineral beryl family. Its cousin is the emerald. Like other beryl varieties, aquamarines are rated 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs Hardness Scale. This means that they are soft enough for jewelers to cut to their client’s specs but also durable enough for daily wear.
On land or sea, aquamarines feature prominently in many folk tales, including one about mermaids gifting aquamarine to sailors to protect them during sea voyages. Worn around sailors’ necks as an amulet, it kept them from getting seasick and, most importantly, from shipwrecks. Considered a symbol of courage by some, aquamarine amulets were also favored by Egyptian and Hebrew warriors during battle.
Aquamarine has also made appearances on some of the grandest of great dames. The Brazilian government gifted Eleanor Roosevelt with a 1,847-carat aquamarine in 1935 and Queen Elizabeth II received a sizable aquamarine upon her 1953 coronation; this stone is now the focal point of her aquamarine tiara. And renowned Tiffany Co. designer Jean Schlumberger made a diamond Bow setting for a 148.5-carat aquamarine, which was originally exhibited at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exhibition, now in the collection of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.
On 1stDibs, find a range of vintage and antique aquamarine jewelry that includes unique aquamarine rings, necklaces and other accessories.
Finding the Right Earrings for You
In the United States, ear piercing didn’t really become popular until the 1950s and ‘60s, but our desire for a dazzling pair of vintage earrings has deeper roots than that. In fact, wearing earrings actually goes back thousands of years, and you can find many tangible connections between now and then in how we continue to talk about these treasured accessories.
Women wore ornamental earrings — studs and hoops at the very least — in Ancient Egypt, which is home to mines that are among the earliest sources of emeralds in the world. Emerald earrings are highly prized today, and their quality lies in their rich, saturated color. The highest-quality emeralds are green or bluish-green. Earrings worn by the affluent in early Roman civilizations were set with precious stones such as diamonds and pearls, and a clean-looking pop of pearl on the front of the lobe is as timeless as ever. Hoop earrings are imbued with symbolism and cultural significance for many, and on view in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Ancient Near Eastern Art Gallery is a pair of simple gold hoops from Mesopotamia dating to between 2600 and 2500 B.C.
Today, ear piercing is very popular all over the world, and, as a result, it is difficult to overstate how much everyone pines for a good pair of earrings — modernist drop earrings, glamorous Victorian hoops, geometrically complex chandelier earrings, you name it. Sure, jewelry trends and the fashion darlings of social media come and go, but earrings have a staying power that seems impenetrable: The still-strong love affair between British royals and Cartier earrings is more than a century old, glossy 1970s hoops from legacy houses such as Bulgari and Van Cleef Arpels remain the statement makers they’ve always been and although people have been stacking earrings for many moons, the allure of an expertly mismatched stack of charms and studs still feels fresh and new.
While there is no shortage of modern earring designs to choose from, the classics, like coral earrings, Art Deco–style earrings and diamond drop earrings are still heavy hitters. On 1stDibs, find a wide range of antique, new and vintage earrings today.
- 1stDibs ExpertAugust 20, 2024One way to tell if earrings are vintage is to research the maker. Search for maker's markings on the backs and then look up these marks using trusted online resources. From there, you can find out when the jewelry maker produced pieces similar to yours. Generally, earrings produced between 20 and 100 years ago are vintage. Another method for dating earrings is to examine their details closely. Most vintage earrings will show some signs of wear, such as faint scratches or tarnishing. You can also have a certified appraiser or knowledgeable dealer date your earrings for you. Shop a wide range of vintage earrings on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertNovember 27, 2023How you use vintage clip-on earrings depends on what type of backing they have. Some simply feature a hinged clip that you open, slip over your ear and then press gently to close. Others may require you to turn a screw or shift a tension bar. On 1stDibs, find a large selection of vintage clip-on earrings.
- 1stDibs ExpertNovember 27, 2023Most vintage earrings are clip-ons largely due to how beliefs about piercings have changed over the years. It was only during the 1980s and ’90s that many women began piercing their ears. Prior to that, many women didn't have piercings and could only wear clip-ons, so makers produced earrings to suit their customer base. On 1stDibs, find a wide range of vintage earrings.
- 1stDibs ExpertNovember 8, 2023To wear vintage clip-on earrings properly, first position them so that the decorative part is in front of your ear and the backing is behind it. Clip-ons feature a variety of backings, but regardless of type, the clips should generally be positioned so that the open part faces the ceiling and the hinge or closed part is near the earlobe. Once you have the earrings in place, secure the clasp. This may involve squeezing a clip or turning a screw or fastener. On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage clip-on earrings.
- Are screw back earrings vintage?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Screw back earrings were most popular during the first half of the 20th century, before clip earrings increased in popularity. However, screw back earrings have never gone out of style. On 1stDibs, you’ll find a collection of antique screw back earrings from some of the world’s top sellers.
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