Lysee Earrings

Lysee earrings draw their form from the spiral — the oldest and most fundamental symbol in Celtic art. The spiral appears carved into the great passage tomb of Newgrange in Ireland, placed there over five thousand years ago by people whose names we will never know.

It appears again on the standing stones of Brittany, on the bronze shields of Celtic warriors, on the gold torques and earrings of Celtic goldsmiths who understood that the spiral was not merely a decoration but a form that held meaning.

The spiral represents the movement of the sun across the seasons, the turning of time, the continuous motion that underlies all living things. As a result, Celtic gold was almost always worked in spirals: twisted wire, wound ribbon, curving forms that caught the light and threw it outward. Furthermore, the twist of gold ribbon is one of the most ancient goldsmithing gestures in the world — found in Ireland, in Mesopotamia, in Egypt, in Greece, wherever goldsmiths understood that a ribbon of gold could be made more alive by giving it a turn.

The Lysee earrings carry that gesture: gold ribbon twisted into a spiral that descends from the ear in a long, living drop.

The Design of the Lysee Earrings

The Lysee earrings translate the Celtic spiral into 18k gold. Each piece is a long drop formed from a ribbon of gold that is twisted along its length, so the surface catches the light at different angles as it descends.

The spiral begins at the ear and unwinds as it falls, the twist becoming more open toward the base, so the earring reads as something in the process of releasing — like a curl of gold ribbon caught at the moment of unwinding.

As a result, the Lysee earrings are both precise and organic, deliberate and alive. Therefore, they carry the quality of Celtic goldwork at its best: technically exact in its structure, visually alive in its movement.

The Twisted Ribbon

The twisted spiral is the soul of this design. Specifically, the twist creates a visual rhythm that changes as the eye travels along the earring from top to base — different angles of gold catching different qualities of light.

Worn as long drops, the Lysee earrings move as the wearer moves, the twisted ribbon swaying slightly so the light plays along its surface. Furthermore, from the front the twist reads as a straight line; from the side it reveals its full spiral depth.

In this way, the Lysee earrings reward looking at from multiple angles, the way the Celtic spiral always has: a simple line that contains a complete idea of motion.

Lysee Earrings in 18k Gold

In rose gold the twisted ribbon glows with warmth, the spiral reading rich and amber-toned like ancient gold work seen in evening light. In white gold the Lysee earrings turn cool and bright, each face of the twist catching light with the clarity of a cut surface.

In yellow gold they radiate with full golden intensity — the most direct echo of the Celtic goldsmiths who worked in yellow gold exclusively, who understood that a twist of warm gold contained everything the spiral meant: growth, movement, and the endless return of the light.

Whichever metal you choose, the twist holds its form.

Craftsmanship and 3D Precision

Each Lysee earring was developed in 3D modeling software and brought to life through precision 3D printing and meticulous hand-finishing. The twisted ribbon demands digital modeling: the pitch of the spiral must be perfectly consistent from base to crown so the twist reads as a single continuous gesture, the ribbon must be proportioned so it catches the light at every face rather than appearing flat, and the two earrings of a pair must mirror each other exactly.

Hand-finishing then polishes every surface to a high shine. This is the precision that only the Friszman MD process can deliver reliably.

A Made-to-Order Piece

Like every Friszman MD creation, the Lysee earrings are made to order and hand-finished in 18k gold. Explore the full earrings collection to see how each design draws its form from the ancient world. You can also explore the Celtic spiral traditions in the collections of the Library of Congress.