These earrings aren't topaz, but they were made to look exactly like it.
By the 1820s, a particular peach-and-honey variety known as Imperial topaz was beloved throughout Europe. The stones came from a teenty tiny mining district—just four by fifteen miles—in Minas Gerais, Brazil, then under Portuguese control. Discovered in the early eighteenth century, the deposit was exploited during the age of European colonial expansion, when imperial powers raced to control the people and natural resources of the Americas.
Because Imperial topaz was so difficult to mine and transport, it commanded extraordinary prices. These earrings are an English jeweler's expert imitation of the gem.
The stones are paste, a type of leaded glass that was quite an innovation at the time. To recreate the rich golden-orange and pinkish tones of Imperial topaz, glassmakers added iron, antimony, and small amounts of manganese to the molten glass. Iron created the amber and honey base tones, antimony produced a luminous yellow and enhanced the sparkle, and manganese shifted the color toward the peachy, hues characteristic of fine Imperial topaz.
The molded paste stones were often set over colored foil to mimic the depth and fire of the natural gem. That's exactly what we're seeing here. Natural seed pearls frame each paste stone, creating a remarkably convincing imitation of one of the first truly global luxury goods.
MATERIALS: 10k gold (tests), "topaz" pastes, seed pearls
AGE: c. 1820
CONDITION: Very good - some discoloration to the ear wires and on the back of the earrings
SIZE: 3/4" length measured from the top of the ear wire, just over 3/8" width