The central disk of each earring is decorated with an image of a mythological bird executed in the hot enamel (champlevé) technique. The disk is surrounded by twisted ray-horns with granulated spheres at the ends.
The earrings are styled after kolts - characteristic suspended ornaments for women's headwear from the Kievan Rus era of the 11th–13th centuries, which frequently took the shape of a radiant star. In this piece, the Old Russian jewelry tradition is merged with the Aquitaine school of Limoges enamel.
A lever-back clasp featuring relief ornamentation on the wire ensures a secure fit. The depiction of the bird references the Simurgh—an ancient Near Eastern symbol adapted to Christian symbolism by French masters of the Romanesque era. The bird designs and color palette follow medieval canons.
The imagery of the Simurgh traveled a path from the Persian mountains to French altars: originating in ancient Persia as a grace-bestowing protector of the World Tree, it penetrated Byzantium on precious silks, transforming there into a symbol of imperial authority. Later, having reached Western Europe, this motif was adapted to the Catholic canon. The Simurgh merged with the imagery of the griffin and the phoenix, becoming a symbol of Christ's dual nature, a sign of the coming resurrection, and a bestiary guardian depicted on reliquaries.
Weight of each earring: 4.6 g Total diameter of the earring (including rays): 25 mm, diameter of the bird disk: 18 mm. Silver (925), Au 999 gilding, hot champlevé enamel.