14k gold handmade dangling earrings, a reproduction of the original ancient Greek Minoan bees pendant. The original pendant was found in 1930 at Chrysolakkos, Malia, Crete and dates back to the Middle Bronze Age (1800 – 1600BC). The design of each earring is a very detailed representation of two bees carrying a drop of honey to their honeycomb. In addition, in Greek language, the honeybee is called “melissa”. Today, it is considered the most famous piece of Minoan jewelry and the original pendant is exhibited at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, on the island of Crete in Greece. This jewelry piece is an evidence of the artist’s mastery in the process of granulation, the technique of soldering tiny pieces of metal, on the surface of the cast jewel, as well as the filigree technique. Bees have a symbolic and important connotation in many cultures worldwide. They were very important in the Minoan, matriarchal civilization. It is believed that the Great Mother of Mother Goddess was related to bees, while honey was used in rituals. As a symbol of the Mother Goddess, bees represent the mutual support and fertility. For this beautiful pair of 14k gold honey bee earrings we used the first and smallest size (size #1) of this honey bee collection. Please note that these honey bee earrings are available in other sizes, upon request. The lever back lock is machine-made and it is safe and easy to use. All of our jewelry pieces are handcrafted in our workshop in the center of Athens and are inspired by the ancient Greek history.