The earrings date from 1820 to 1830, likely a French creation. The earrings are made of silver gilt on the foundation and the bezel holding the Amethyst. The Cannetelle wire work is 18 karat yellow gold. Each earring holds a two-carat natural hand cut Amethyst Gemstone. This Amethyst is the highest quality of the Amethyst stone; it is called a Royal Amethyst because of its deep color.

Information on Cannetelle Jewelry:
The Rise and Fall of Cannetelle Jewels
Cannetelle work was inspired by embroidery, reputedly the embroidery found in traditional peasant garments. Some sources mention 18th century Portugal or India as a source; some mention France. The simple filigree tendrils that started to appear in the fashion and jewelry world around 1820 transformed into excellent Cannetelle wire work during the following decade. One can find cannetelle work from almost every European nation during the 1820s and 1830s.
On the one hand, the rise of cannetelle is explained by the “gold poverty” of the early nineteenth century. After the Napoleonic wars, precious metals were extremely scarce on the European continent. The economy was crippled in the early, and even the upper classes struggled to survive the depression. Nonetheless, grand jewelry was in fashion.
Cannetelle jewels could be very large but used only a small amount of gold. Though they were typically quite labor intensive (goldsmiths fabricated the intricate wire work entirely by hand), the jewels were kept affordable by low labor costs.
Cannetelle is a close relative of filigree work. It typically features fine gold wires or thinly hammered sheets. Motifs included tendrils, scrolls, coils, beehives, and spider-like rosette ornaments. Jewelry featuring cannetelle was often embellished with granulation and thinly stamped metals. Colorful gemstones tend to embellish the pieces: Brazilian aquamarine, pink topaz, Amethyst, and chrysoberyl.
Information on Silver Gilt:
Gold is the most malleable and the most ductile of metals. One ounce can be hammered into a 100-foot square of gold leaf or drawn into a mile (1.6 km) of fine wire. Because of its chemical inertness, gold retains its brilliant color even after centuries of exposure to corrosive elements. The most workable of metals, gold has been forged, chased, embossed, engraved, inlaid, cast, and—in the form of gold leaf—used to gild metals, woods, leather, and parchment. Gold wire has found extensive uses in brocades and ornamentation of other materials.
From the earliest of times, gold was often held in awe as the symbol of divinity and was, therefore, the material of choice for religious objects. During the European Middle Ages, gold was used widely for crosses, altars, doors, chalices, and reliquaries. This association with divinity naturally developed into an association with royalty. In ancient Egypt, for example, all gold was the property of the pharaoh, and even in modern times, the accouterments of royalty are predominantly gold.
Beating gold into leaves as thin as 1⁄280,000 inch (0.00009 millimeters) is primarily done by hand, although machines are used to some extent. The beaten leaves are packed between tissue leaves of small books. Gold leaf may be rolled onto the sized surface from the tissue book. Generally, however, the gilder detaches the amount needed with a pointed tool, picks it up with a gilder’s brush, and transfers it to the design. The leaf is held to the tip by static electricity, which the gilder generates by brushing the tip gently over his hair. When the gilding is completed, the leaf-covered area is pounced with a wad of soft cotton to burnish the gold to a high luster. Leaf gold may be powdered by being rubbed through a fine-mesh sieve. Powdered gold is so costly, however, that bronze powders have been substituted almost universally. Metallic powders may be pounced on a sized surface with a soft material such as velvet or may be combined with lacquer or with a chemical base and then applied as metallic paint.

Information on the Amethyst gemstone:
Amethyst: a Royal color - Purple has long been considered a royal color, so it is not surprising that Amethyst has been so much in demand during history. Fine amethysts are featured in the British Crown Jewels and were also a favorite of Catherine the Great and Egyptian royalty. Amethyst, transparent purple quartz is the most important quartz variety used in jewelry. Leonardo Da Vinci wrote that Amethyst was able to dissipate evil thoughts and quicken the intelligence.

As all early jewelry, this is one of a kind creation. The earrings are 1 3/4 tall including the ear wires and 3/4 of an inch wide. Goldwork, silver gilt, and Amethyst are in excellent condition and strong to wear.