Jewelry (Bird) Physical Object
Accession Number
1986.008.0010Alternate object names
Pendant;Earring;Unidentified Jewelry Piece-BirdCreation Date
circa 1600Description
A piece of gold jewelry, either a pendant or earring, in the form of a gold bird perched on a branch with an oval emerald inset in its breast. It is suspended from a dolphin-form loop, with the creature circularly swallowing its own tail. The bird has been alternately described as a falcon or parrot.Dimensions
Weight: 4.65 grams
Height overall 4.0 cm. 4.59 grams.
Exhibition Label
Case Caption (2023):
Personal Adornments
Philip IV ruled Spain from 1621 to 1665. To express his piety and enforce it in his court, he added to previous sumptuary laws to create the “Spanish style”—dark clothing with few ornaments. However, the new laws would not have reached the colonies by the time the 1622 fleet sailed. The dress ornaments in this case are from the earlier period, in which aristocrats and conquistador families enjoyed showing off their wealth in fine attire spangled with gold and jewels.
Object Caption (2023):
Earring
Gold, emerald (c.1620)
Gift of Jamestown Inc.
1986.008.0010
The emerald and gold parrot earring is one of a pair, separated in the shipwreck. Two parrots are considered symbolic of devotion and enduring love—a romantic gift. The hoop holding it is in the form of a snake eating its own tail. This symbolizes eternity in Western mythology, but Indigenous people in tropical south America shared the myth that a snake eating its own tail encircles the world.