These ornate earrings feature a beautiful twisted loop and a round cabochon stone held in a beautifully delicate sculpted bezel setting. They are based on a Roman example dating to the third century AD. "Cassia" is the female patronymic form of the name Cassius. The Cassius family was one of Rome's oldest and most notable families, with a family member who became consul in the year 502 BC, for example, at the beginning of the Republic. One female member of the family was Cassia Lepida (b. AD 80), daughter of Cassius Lepidus, whose mother was Junia Lepida, the great-great-granddaughter of Augustus.
