Oxidised Paisley Jhumka Earrings with Leaf Scrollwork

A pair of earrings in oxidised German silver over brass. A puffed paisley sits at the top, edged in leaf scrollwork, with a fluted jhumka hanging below it and a short pearl fringe at the rim.

The design

This is the oxidised version of a shape Keyura also stocks in antique gold, and the finish changes it more than you would expect. Blackened metal puts the emphasis on the cut line rather than on the shine, so the leaf scrollwork along the paisley edge is the first thing the eye picks up instead of the last.

The paisley itself is raised and domed rather than flat, which is what gives it presence at this size without weight. The scrollwork running down both sides is pierced through, so the outline stays crisp against whatever is behind it.

Below it the bell is fluted from crown to rim. On an oxidised piece that ribbing earns its place twice over: it stiffens a thin dome, and the dark line in each groove is what makes the flutes visible at all.

Small artificial pearls finish the lower rim. The warm off-white against blackened metal is the oldest colour pairing in Indian silver work and still the best one.

Materials and finish

Brass finished as German silver and oxidised. German silver contains no silver — copper, nickel and zinc — and it is used for this kind of work because it holds a blackening well and stays hard enough for crisp piercing.

There are no coloured stones on this pair. Everything you see is metalwork and the row of pearls, which is a harder thing to carry off and the reason it is worth looking at closely.

How to wear them

Oxidised silver tone suits indigo, black, white and every handloom weave, and it sits more comfortably with daytime clothes than a gold pair of the same size. Wear the hair back and let the outline show.

They are a good answer to the problem of a plain cotton saree that needs one strong piece of jewellery and nothing else.

Honest notes

Not silver, not precious, and not described as either. The design is old — the paisley came to Indian jewellery from Kashmiri shawl weaving — and at this price the design is what you are buying.

Care

Oxidising is a deliberate darkening of the surface, not tarnish, and it is the thing that makes the pattern readable. Never clean these with a silver dip — a dip strips the blackening out of the recesses and the design goes flat and grey for good. A dry cotton cloth is all they need. Keep water, perfume and hair spray off them, put them on after you have finished dressing, and store them in a sealed pouch with the air pressed out.