Antique Victorian earrings gold silver diamonds turquoise French sleepers (7690)

Antique Victorian earrings. 18k gold, silver, diamonds and turquoise. Made in France, late 19th - early 20th century. Measurements: Weight is 6.4 grams. A little over a US size 7. Description : Small in size, but lovely look and extremely versatile. Sometimes called 'dormeuse' or 'sleepers', these small earrings were made to be so comfortable and versatile that the need never be removed. A simple surmount under the gold wire is set with a little diamond. It leads to the main body of the earring, which is an oval shape. A central, oval cabochon turquoise, prong set and surrounded by a border of small diamonds, set in silver. During the Victorian era, diamonds were conventionally set in silver to show them off more effectively in gas or candle light. The silver mount forms an openwork gallery of swags that allows light to enter from all angles behind and alongside the diamonds. The silver is placed upon a mount of yellow gold. Backs/wires are also gold. Gold hinged wires with simple clasp. Wires go through earlobe from back to front, which indicates that they are original to the Victorian era. Easy to insert and comfortable to wear. Marks and Metal: Gold wires with French eagle head mark for 18k gold. Engraved numbers from the manufacturer. Some punch marks that are too small to be legible. Condition: Good with negligible wear commensurate with age. Please see enlarged pictures and don't hesitate to ask questions which we will do our best to answer. THE STORY: The concept of dormeuse or sleepers is that earrings could be worn to sleep in as they were so comfortable, and they need never be removed. A growing number of jewelry cognoscenti are looking for these earrings for this exact reason. More commonly, we find dormeuse earrings set with diamonds. Therefore, dormeuse with colored stones are in great demand.