These two pairs of earrings are so simple that their royal
connection could not have been detected if they had not been
discovered in
Tutankhamun's tomb. Those shown on the left are
made of alternate bands of black and white glass. One of them is
incomplete and the surviving portion consists of two pieces, one
of which was found on the floor of the antechamber and the other
in the rubble outside the door of the antechamber. It seems
unlikely that the ancient robbers would have taken an object of
no intrinsic value and a mere fragment; perhaps it was thrown
into the corridor by one of the necropolis workmen when carrying
out the repairs to the tomb. A feature of technical interest can
be seen at the left-hand end of the complete earring: it is a
thin metal core that shows that the earrings were made in the
same manner as glass beads - by winding threads of glass around
the core and then applying heat until the glass is fused into a
compact mass. The black
color is believed to have been produced
by the addition of an iron compound to the glass and the white
by means of tin oxide, some of which was actually found in
Tutankhamun's tomb.
The earrings on the right-hand side are
made of white faience and are decorated with black or dark brown
insets, the colors in each case having been produced by the same
substances as those in the glass earrings.
Both pairs are penannular or cleft rings. Hitherto no
satisfactory explanation has been found to account for the way
in which the lobe of the ear could be squeezed through the
narrow gap in the ring, although it is possible that in some
instances they were permanently attached while the wearer was
still a child. Once they had been inserted into the perforated
lobes, they would cause no discomfort. It is, however, difficult
to imagine why such simple productions should have been included
in the tomb equipment of Tutankhamun, unless it was thought
necessary to provide as many as possible of the different types
of earring, some special
amuletic significance being attributed
to each type.