The Sable Earrings

Look closely and the hoop earrings give themselves away as Victorian: coral, holding a steady oxblood even in shade, held by hand-chased repoussé. The work is so even you would swear a machine did it, though none then could. A dealer we trust brought it down from a family near Lyon, kept in a bank drawer far longer than it was ever worn. Pieces like this do not come apart; they were built to be handed on.