Carrera Y Carrera Panther Earrings
Vintage 1980s Spanish Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Onyx, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, White Gold
Vintage 1980s Spanish Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
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21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Onyx, Gold, 14k Gold
20th Century Fashion Rings
Emerald, Onyx, Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s French Cocktail Rings
Emerald, Onyx, Diamond, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1980s French Link Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s French Band Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Onyx, Gold
2010s Indian Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Spanish Classical Roman Band Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s American Modern Bangles
1990s Spanish Art Nouveau Band Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold
Vintage 1980s Spanish Retro Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Tsavorite, White Gold, Gold, 14k Gold
1990s Spanish Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold
Early 2000s Spanish Art Nouveau Cuff Bracelets
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Spanish Art Nouveau Link Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Band Rings
18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Brooches
Recent Sales
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century British Bangles
Diamond, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
1990s European Contemporary Lever-Back Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century More Earrings
Carrera y Carrera for sale on 1stDibs
Legendary Spanish jewelry house Carrera y Carrera is based in Madrid but its sculptural and wholly distinctive pieces are known all over the world. Devotees of the company’s luxurious rings, necklaces, bracelets and other adornments have included royalty and a range of high-profile pop culture figures, and its artisans’ expertise in jewelry design spans a history of more than 130 years.
The origins of Carrera y Carrera can be traced to a small shop in 1885 founded by Madrid native Saturio Carrera. A student of lapidary — the practice of carving and shaping stones and minerals — Saturio established a modest jewelry business, and later, his son, José, who studied jewelry design in Paris, took up the family business and opened a new shop near the old center of Spain’s capital city. José passed the firm onto his nephews, and Carrera y Carrera garnered international acclaim when the Spanish royal family awarded them their first royal commission in 1960 to craft a bridal tiara to be presented to Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragón on her wedding day. This tiara — the house’s most prestigious piece to date — raised Carrera y Carrera’s profile significantly.
During the 1970s, the luxury house first presented their designs at the epicenter of international jewelry, Baselworld. Carrera y Carrera became a household name for Americans of means thanks to a distribution partnership that landed its offerings in the Cellini boutique at New York City’s Waldorf Astoria. Celebrities such as Sofía Vergara, Jennifer Lopez and Madonna have all worn custom Carrera y Carrera jewels on the red carpet, and the brand’s work has been exhibited at the Armoury Chamber in the Kremlin. Each of the brand’s unique designs for watches and other jewelry — which frequently draw on animal forms, mythology and art — are still made by hand, just as its founder intended.
Find vintage Carrera y Carrera jewelry today on 1stDibs.
Finding the Right Earrings for You
In the United States, ear piercing didn’t really become popular until the 1950s and ‘60s, but our desire for a dazzling pair of vintage earrings has deeper roots than that. In fact, wearing earrings actually goes back thousands of years, and you can find many tangible connections between now and then in how we continue to talk about these treasured accessories.
Women wore ornamental earrings — studs and hoops at the very least — in Ancient Egypt, which is home to mines that are among the earliest sources of emeralds in the world. Emerald earrings are highly prized today, and their quality lies in their rich, saturated color. The highest-quality emeralds are green or bluish-green. Earrings worn by the affluent in early Roman civilizations were set with precious stones such as diamonds and pearls, and a clean-looking pop of pearl on the front of the lobe is as timeless as ever. Hoop earrings are imbued with symbolism and cultural significance for many, and on view in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Ancient Near Eastern Art Gallery is a pair of simple gold hoops from Mesopotamia dating to between 2600 and 2500 B.C.
Today, ear piercing is very popular all over the world, and, as a result, it is difficult to overstate how much everyone pines for a good pair of earrings — modernist drop earrings, glamorous Victorian hoops, geometrically complex chandelier earrings, you name it. Sure, jewelry trends and the fashion darlings of social media come and go, but earrings have a staying power that seems impenetrable: The still-strong love affair between British royals and Cartier earrings is more than a century old, glossy 1970s hoops from legacy houses such as Bulgari and Van Cleef & Arpels remain the statement makers they’ve always been and although people have been stacking earrings for many moons, the allure of an expertly mismatched stack of charms and studs still feels fresh and new.
While there is no shortage of modern earring designs to choose from, the classics, like coral earrings, Art Deco–style earrings and diamond drop earrings are still heavy hitters. On 1stDibs, find a wide range of antique, new and vintage earrings today.