Our Sicilian Teste di Moro charm trio hoop earrings feature a stunning trio of unique charms from the beautiful island of Sicily. These hand crafted gold plated brass hoop earrings are adorned with a trio of genuine Sicilian porcelain charms that have been hand made and hand painted in Sicily: The wire hoops are decorated with small colourful Sicilian pine cone charms complete with 4mm glass pearl charms on either side. Each earring wire features hand crafted porcelain male and female Sicilian ‘Teste di Moro’ Moor head charms with 6mm glass pearl charms on either side. Both moor head charms are adorned with drop lamp work glass chilli charms, decorated with evil eyes on both sides.
The Sicilian pine cone is a symbol of fertility, life, immortality, and divinity. The seeds of the pine cone represent the symbol of fertility and regenerative force. In ancient Sicilian tradition the Sicilian pine cone was used to adorn the bedroom of newlyweds to wish the formation of a large family.
The legend of the ‘Testa di Moro’ or Moor Head is a well-known Sicilian symbol that is instantly recognisable and if you have ever visited Sicily you will be familiar with these stunning ceramic heads. The legend of these moor heads dates back to the 11th Century during the Moors domination in Sicily. There was a young girl who lived in the Kalsa neighbourhood in Palermo. Every day she would spend time on her balcony tending to her plants and flowers. One day a young Moor passing by saw her and was captured by her beauty and declared his love to her, which was immediately returned. After some time, the girl discovered that her lover would have to leave her to return to his country where his wife and children were waiting for him. She plotted her revenge: Whilst he slept she beheaded him and used it as a vase for her lovely flowered balcony, so that her lover would stay with her forever. It’s a sinister story but the outcome was these stunning decorative moor heads that you find all around Sicily which make for beautiful decorations.
Please Note: The porcelain charms adorned on these earrings are hand crafted and hand painted. Therefore there may be darker and lighter areas of paint strokes on the charms, and/or flecks of gold paint in areas. The detail of the painted areas around the faces may differ slightly to the charms shown in the images but will retain the overall look. The porcelain charms are fragile and need to be handled with extra care and attention. If they are knocked or dropped they will crack.