1900s Straits Chinese earrings set with rose cut diamonds in 20k.

These diamonds fall between primitive and full cut diamonds, having polished rose cuts which evolved from the earliest even more uneven hand cut diamonds.

They were hand cut in India and travelled all over the world during the 19th to 20th centuries.

Today these diamonds are considered early rose cut diamonds from the East, since they are cut organically, though not primitively, with generous, uneven facets that show off diamonds as gently cut stones.

Given the history of such diamonds, they are not easy to find fiery and bright.

This pair is set very well with thick gold bezels, with the pointy tips of Straits Chinese ‘bintang’ (star) trademark.

These much gold-accented tips adapt the roundness of Western and Victorian jewellery, in effect showing the flair for sharper delineation and pierced work in Straits Chinese Peranakan jewellery art.

It is not just their organic antique beauty that is desirable, but such diamonds show their halo amazingly the lower the light.

Each star is 1.5cm across, this is considered one of the bigger ethnic pairs.