Vintage 1970s Cloisonné Enamel Leaf 2024 Sterling Silver Vermeil Pierced Earrings

These vintage 1970s cloisonne enamel earrings feature a figural leaf in sterling silver vermeil. This image is possibly a Japanese Kamon Family Crest. The colors are Turquoise, Light Sapphire and Light Rose.

Enamels bake at various temperatures, many colors require multiple layers, and fired multiple times. For unknown reasons, pink and red colored enamels are extremely fragile. The back sides are also enameled, providing much needed support for the fragile glass. Vintage treasures with pink or red enamel and no enamel loss are rare and hard to find.

The earrings measure approximately 1-1/8" in length, 7/8" drop, by 1-1/4" in width and are marked S.925. The materials and design are similar to Thousand Flowers, Shashi, Inc. and Laurel Burch, and likely handmade by Chinese artisans.

One earring has rough spots in the center of the two leaves and appears it may not have been fully trimmed. There is minor crazing on the left of this earring. There is tarnish.

These earrings are in excellent condition and are a wonderful treasure to add to any collection.

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Below is helpful information from Laurel Burch's catalog on caring for similar treasures. DO NOT clean pearls with silver dip solutions. It will ruin the luster of your pearls forever.

TAKING CARE OF YOUR EARRINGS

Laurel, Inc. enamel earrings are an exciting blend of contemporary style and far eastern craft. Each earring is hand enamelled on vermeil, in China, using techniques unique to that country.

As each piece is handworked, there will sometimes be slight differences in coloration. These should not be viewed as imperfections but rather as your assurance of their individuality.

We offer the following suggestions for the care of Laurel, Inc. earrings.

The enamel itself is a thin layer of glass on the surface of the earring. It should be treated very gently and never bent as that could lead to its 2024 cracking or shattering.

Fixed earwires and posts are soldered to the earring. The juncture itself must never be bent as this could cause the earwire to separate from the earring. If adjustment must be made, always be sure to support the top of the wire while bending the end portion.

Those earwires which are an actual part of the earring design should be adjusted, if necessary, by moving the wire from side to side. They should never be moved up and down as this could loosen the solder.

Earwires that are hinged are designed to allow enough movement for easy insertion into the ear. The hinge should never be forced.

As silver is a relatively soft metal excessive manipulation and adjustment should be avoided.

To clean the earrings (both silver and vermeil) we recommend using a silver cleaning solution, such as Tarn-x. The earring should be first quickly dipped in the solution. It should then be carefully washed in warm water and mild detergent to remove any residue of the dip. If a piece is badly tarnished this procedure should be repeated. Dry gently and your earring will be good as new. We do not recommend the use of rough cloths for cleaning vermeil.