Charming and detailed 15 carat gold Victorian orb earrings deeply chased all over with sunflowers c.1880.
Later bead and shepherd hook tops 9 carat gold.
Ball drop 1/2 inch north to south.
In the Victorian Language of Flowers, the sunflower symbolized adoration, loyalty, and admiration. The sunflower became the a prime motif of the Aesthetic Movement, a movement that celebrated beauty above all, with Oscar Wilde himself noting its "gaudy leonine beauty".