Crescent Hoop Earrings with Pearls from The Met Museum

This elegant pair of embellished hoops evokes an ancient gold earring in The Met collection, originally made on the island of Cyprus. Cyprus served as a way station for ships in the eastern Mediterranean since prehistoric times, which is reflected in the aesthetic diversity of Cypriot jewelry. Cyprus was integrated into the eastern Roman Empire in 30 B.C, after which the crescent shape emerged in Roman-period jewelry from Britain to Egypt.