Metal: 18K Gold

Stone: 8.55ctw Spinels, 1.67ctw Garnets, .98ctw of antique diamonds

Measurements: 40mm 35mm in length

What You Should Know: Custom created by us. Push back posts.

We are fawning over these eye-catching drop dreamers. Spinel is a serious obsession and these mismatched mamas absolutely have it all.

Since ancient times, some of the world’s most worthwhile spinel has been mined in the Badakhshan region of eastern Afghanistan, close to the famous mines of Kuh-i-Lal in Tajikistan. The region is beautiful and mountainous, peppered with lush valleys along picturesque rivers, which serve as important, life-giving water sources and travel routes. The region held importance throughout antiquity—the Silk Road passed through and even Marco Polo wrote about the area’s abundant resources.

Many travelers have written about Afghanistan ruby and spinel mines. One writer in the 12th century recounted the results of an earthquake in the region, as it broke open a hill to reveal an incredible number of stones. The writer reports that local women attempted to extract dye from the red stones and discarded them when it didn’t work. A jeweler recognized their value, however, and brought them to expert stonecutters. Lapidaries were not familiar with these novel stones, however, and the artisans had trouble polishing them at first until a new technique was discovered.

These earrings are as spinelicious as it gets with over eight carats of vibrant natural spinels punctuated with 1.67ctw of radiant Garnets, and finished off with just under a carat of antique diamonds.