Earrings

The fact that in Sardinia the earring was once a widely distributed jewel is amply documented not only by the collections of ex-vots but also by archival documents starting from the seventeenth century. The type is very vast and the jewel is present in numerous shapes and variations. The circle model in silver or gold wire is very common, often with a zoomorphic figure inscribed inside.
The fact that in Sardinia the earring was once a widely distributed jewel is amply documented not only by the collections of ex-vots but also by archival documents starting from the seventeenth century. The type is very vast and the jewel is present in numerous shapes and variations. The circle model in silver or gold wire is very common, often with a zoomorphic figure inscribed inside and equipped with a support for connecting a coral pendant or vitreous paste. Also notable is the spread of the oval or circular button type, in gold and with a red coral cameo, often equipped with a smooth or multifaceted teardrop pendant in red coral, or with a manufacture; these elongated shapes, together with the red color of the coral, have often been attributed magical-apotropaic value.

Limited to the south of the island is the distribution area of the bow earring, with a pendant also made of a bow made on a gold support with scaramazze pearls and, sometimes, with applied enamels. The “navicella” type earring, consisting of two rounded sheets welded together, is present among others in some southern centers of the island.
The terminology used to refer to earrings is different: next to the term 'arracadas', which has a clear Catalan origin, 'nàrvas', 'nàvres' and other variants appear.
Earrings are generally referred to as' lorigas' if they consist of a circle (gold or silver), and 'arracadas' when there is a pendant. This type of earring can have different ornamental shapes and motifs; so in Quartu Sant'Elena “is arreadas”, normally in gold filigree, they have the central body in a shovel (arrecadas a palia), with a representation of a cockerel inside the circle (arreadas a caboniscu), in the shape of a lantern (arroadas a lantioni) or even in the shape of a blackberry (arreadas a mura).

In Dorgali, earrings (loricas) were worn by all women regardless of age. Already at one year of age, girls, as in most Sardinian centers, had their earlobes pierced using the pin of a silver hoop earring. The earrings worn on festive occasions, different in shape, but always made of gold, consist of two parts, an upper part (prattu 'e pittu) and a lower part (prattu 'e undu) connected by three short parallel vertical chains. The most common type, known as “loricas de rodedda” (roller earrings), consists of two flat oval filigree elements of which the upper one, equipped with a pin for suspension, is smaller in size; both elements are decorated inside with a stylized lily in applied foil (sos lidzos). A type of Dorgalese earring that maintains the architecture described above is the one that carries within the two elements a bunch of grapes stylized in foil with a surface covered with tiny pearls to more faithfully represent a bunch of grapes (loricas chin su prudone 'e s'achina). Another type of earring popular in Dorgali is the so-called “lanthione” whose upper element, a sphere with a pin, is suspended with a smooth foil body often made of filigree. “Sas loricas a caliche” (chalice earrings) have a structure similar to those described but take their name from the shape of the pendant embellished with applied scaramazze. For everyday use are the earrings consisting of a circled upper body accompanied by a pendant with a coral cameo (cara 'e coraddu) or with the operculum of a marine gastropod, the eye of Saint Lucia (marine faa).

In Logudoro, the most common earrings are of the hoop type with a main body with a red coral cameo (sa cara) and a teardrop coral pendant (sa fica); they were usually an engagement gift but often the girls had them from an early age.

Update

18/9/2023 - 17:02