Older earrings with interesting safely catch

Found these today ... they were dark and dirty, but seemed to have some age to them and looked handmade ... But what really sold me was the cool, ingenious little triangle thingy that swings up to catch over the end of the ear-wire keeping them secure.

Now that I've cleaned them up a bit they look so much prettier than before
The filigree is silver in color and is made up of fine little serrated strips of metal coiled up like quill work. The ear wires, the triangular safety catches, and the bezels around the glass? stones are yellow metal.

No markings that I can see.

Any thoughts to age or where from?
Anyone ever see this type of safety catch on an earring?

 

I'm not seeing any signs of real age; the stones look like blue topaz, so these can't be much more than 30 years old. That's when they started irradiating the stone. The construction looks Turkish or other Middle-eastern. Smart money on Turkey though; they do a pile of that wirework, and that safety catch looks like something a local silversmith would dream up.

 

Those are cool!
But I'd get them caught up in my pant's tassles doing high kicks so I'll pass on those.

 

Thanks evelyb30, I'll see what searching Turkish earrings brings up.

I'm not sure what the "stones" are, and even glass is a possibility. They do look more blue in these photos than they do in real life ... they're quite watery and pale in color. I can try to capture the color better with a light background.

 

Pale blue would make them on the early end, if they're topaz. The early 80s stones were a lot paler than the later ones. That would fit with them having some age.

 

These shots are probably closer to the actual color.

What you can't see is how the stones have small chips here and there on the edges of some of the facets ... one of the reasons I was thinking older.

 

They're real pretty, and they aren't simulated filigree - that's something. Can you test the metal?

I have a similar pair with pearls and vermeil filigree - they are made to convert - the bottom comes off.

 

Thank you!

I have no test kit, but I have a jeweler buddy who will test them for me if I take them to him.

 

My mom has a bracelet with that triangle used as a safety closure.

 

I've seen those catches in Turkey and Egypt.

 

If there are chips, wouldn't that indicate glass?

 

Thanks Komo ... I have seen similar on bracelets too ... but never on earrings.

 

adding Egypt to my search words ..... thanks, Owned!

 

Thanks, Bev

Because glass has been what I originally thought were in these, I've been trying to put the word stone in quotes ("stone"). But, the presence of chips doesn't automatically exclude natural, nor man-made, stones or gems either.

I've been looking for either bubbles (to indicate glass) or inclusions (to indicate stone) ... but have found neither

 

While searching some this morning, I found several small earrings from Russia with this safety clasp for their ear wires.

 

Aaaaak!

why I've stopped searching sorry the lighting is so poor .... he (she) wouldn't wait for me to prepare it for its close-up ....

 

Kewl. I wouldn't disturb him either.

 

with legs like that he can likely type faster than you !!

 

Haha - pretty much EVERYONE can type faster than I

 

I've been told that irradiated stones will fade over time....wife has an inexpensive but pretty ring that was a nice light blue 30 years ago; is almost clear now.