Featured Need ID on 21K Gold Hand Pierced Figural Cone Earrings, South America?

These earrings tested higher than 20K, I'm thinking 21K or 22K. Length is 1 7/16" or 42mm from the top of the wire to the end of the fringe.

The style looks like something I'd see in Peru, Bolivia or Chile. The cones are hand-cut and pattern-stamped on the front and back. The front depicts a man wearing a wide brimmed hat and a poncho-type covering with finely stamped texture and zigzag bands. His feet? or hands? poke out from the bottom of the poncho. A long stick is connected to his mouth and goes down past the hands/feet. A pipe? musical instrument?

On the reverse is a smaller man who appears to be sitting in a little boat, oar in hand, with a full sail.

The top of each earring has a stamped face on a trapezoid. Hand-twisted wire fringes dangle from inside the cones.

So, anyone have an idea of the theme or country? TIA!

PS - I have not gotten any daily email updates in a few weeks. I checked my settings and I have enabled the newsletter and ALL alerts. Is something amiss?

 

Costume is Peruvian. And I think female.

 

Good to know! Maybe that will help me or someone in the forum identify the activities! Do you think the smaller figure is riding a boat? I wondered if it might be working at a loom but that's probably off base. Thank you!

 

I think it's grinding or pounding corn. I've a silver brooch somewhere with a cloaked figure like the other one, with an alpaca.

 

They are Bolivian. I have a matching necklace which my father brought back from Bolivia in the mid 60s.
The face on the hooks is the sunface from the Gate of the Sun in Tiwanaku, Bolivia. The boat is a totora reed boat from Lake Titicaca.
The figures with the ponchos seem to be playing flute.

Tiwanaku sun figure:

 

Totora reed boat on Lake Titicaca, made from tying together bundles of reed. This man is standing, yours seems to be holding the rudder while seated:



Two flute players, the one on the small photo is wearing a hat like on your earrings, the other photo shows more of the poncho:

 

Would earrings like these have been made for local sale or aimed at the tourist market?

 

tourist , most likely.....
the workmanship is rushed...at best.

 

I agree, most likely tourist.

I've never been to Bolivia, but in neighbouring Peru I saw women in Lima wear similar jewellery, but Peruvian pre-Columbian themed. It probably has to do with awareness and appreciation of the wealth of pre-Columbian culture.

To be fair, they are pretty small. But my necklace is better quality.
My father wasn't a jewellery person, but he was a metallurgist (among other things) and knew good metalcraft when he saw it. He bought it for my mother, and after she passed it came into my posession.

 

you're right...but to be fair to me....I'm used to very high quality work , in very tight spaces....
so I'm likely biased in my opinion..

 

I appreciate all the responses! Since @Any Jewelry has a piece from Bolivia with similar design and provided the useful images I will consider the origin ID'd. And @komokwa , yours is a beautiful piece! Thanks for the help, all.

The photos of the flute players reminded me that years ago I made my one and only purchase from a street performer. He was an Andes flute player and the music was enchanting so I bought his CD!

 

Besutiful K!

 

Gorgeous! But likely artist made, which this type Bolivian jewellery isn't.

My Bolivian gold necklace (apologies, bad pic):



One of my Peruvian silver sets with pre-Columbian motifs, the style I mentioned before. These motifs are from the Nazca plain:

 

It is the music I grew up with. My father had to travel a lot for his work, mostly to Latin America, sometimes months on end. He always brought back suitcases full of records from Latin America. He also bought jewellery, costumes, musical instruments, etc.

 

Love both of those pieces @Any Jewelry ! So, is the use of cut-out scenes typical in traditional Bolivian jewelry? And you say it's not artist-made. Does that mean a self-taught jeweler would make it? Is there a name for the cut-out scenes? TIA