Silver Brown Agate Earrings

The vintage silver brown agate hand-pressed cabochons featured in these earrings exemplify the talents of mid-century German glassmakers.

Bohemian glassmakers were the first to develop methods for press-molding glass buttons in the early 19th century. They began with solid colored glass, and then, as their skills grew, started producing multi-colored stones mimicking gems like opals and tortoiseshells. 

After the Second World War, German glass artists advanced the glass-making trade further by inventing marbled agate glass. They melted canes of colored glass over a lampworking flame, blended in bits of silver foil, and then hand-pressed the mixture into molds. 

In this piece:

• German silver brown agate lampworked and hand-pressed cabochons, circa 1950
• Brass oval stampings made in the USA in vintage dies
• Nickel-free & lead-free brass kidney wire closures
• Hangs 1 7/8”