That statement has been attributed to Marie Antoinette when she was told the people had no bread. Born an Archduchess of Austria and married to the Dauphin of France at the tender age of fifteen, young Marie led a sheltered and privileged life. She had no idea of what it was to be poor. An extravagant lifestyle filled with parties and balls and sumptuous clothing, jewelry, and finery was really all she knew. It seems she had quite a fabulous time until the age of thirty-eight when her life was cut short during the French Revolution.

Metal Work - Antoinette Fleur-de-lis - Earrings
While creating these Fleur-de-lis themed earrings, I thought of Marie. I wanted this pair to reflect a modicum of opulence…a design Marie might wear on occasion when understated elegance was called for. Made of patinated sterling silver and accented with tiny dots of 18k gold bi-metal, bezel-set 10mm carnelian cabochons, and a Tahitian pearl dangling from the bottom of each earring, they measure 1″ in width and 2.5″ in length. I’ve titled these earrings “Marie’s Fleur-de-lis”.