Popularized during the Victorian Era, pique was a technique of decorating tortoiseshell with inlays of gold and silver. By applying heat to small gold and silver shapes, jewelers could essentially iron the metal into the tortoiseshell. Pique jewelry is relatively rare for two reasons: first, because it’s an organic material and didn’t always stand the test of time; second, because the Victorians stopped using real tortoiseshell in favor of the cheaper faux variety, made from early plastic. These stunning pique chain link earrings earrings are in nearly perfect condition (just one silver circular element is missing). They measure just over 1 3/4" long and are inlayed with silver and gold.