Pre-Columbian Frog Earrings

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In ancient Latin America, gold symbolized power and spiritual wealth but was never used for money. Long before the arrival of the Europeans, Indigenous cultures in South and Centra l America had mastered mining, hammering, and casting gold to produce jewelry, ornaments, masks, and other items. In Costa Rica, frogs were a popular symbolic motif, commonly associated with the creation of the sea. It is thought that the spirals found in many cast frogs are meant to symbolize water. Materials: pewter with gold finish Length: 1 1/2" From the collections of the Penn Museum Show more