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Family History Documents and Artefacts => FH Documents and Artefacts => Topic started by: Kateharding on Sunday 29 December 24 10:26 GMT (UK)
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I have the earrings in the photo, which I think belonged to my g-g-grandmother - seen in other photo around 1915.
The earrings look like entwined initials, E and M, which don’t fit with anyone obvious in the family.
I wondered if anyone knows about earrings from Victorian/Edwardian era - are these typical? Might they be second hand, so initials are not relevant? The family were not well off at all so I can’t imagine her ever affording personalised jewellery.
Any thoughts or general information would be appreciated.
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The earrings
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Do they have any marks on the back?
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No, no marks on back at all
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I've tried to straighten it so that the letter(s) are clearer. It does seem to show an M but the pattern is very strange :-\
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Back of earring. Sorry don’t know how to make pics smaller.
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Back reduced in size
Looking at the front again, it could be a W rather than an E.
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Is there a three petal (?) form above the M. This seems to line up with the vertical piece that goes down the middle and seems to end in a type of root shape.
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There doesn't appear to be any marks on the back.
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The central straight part could be interpreted as a separate part, possibly giving a letter I as well as the M and E or W.
The lady’s grandparents had initials W and M - William and Maria - but they were still not well off - he was a bricklayer, and their children were charwoman/servants.
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Trying to get a better photo
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Just google searched the photo and found several examples of same image for sale on Et*y. Screen shot attached (hope that’s not breaking rules). Wonder what its significance was?
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Think I’ve found it! They were called puzzle brooches/earrings, sometimes the lady’s name, but also often A, E, I, representing amity, eternity, infinity. Seems like they were popular in later 1800s, often unmarked silver. The lady who owned these was born in 1865 so that would fit.