890 - Pair of "Goethe" Berlin iron earrings, made of blackened Berlin iron and silver. Medallion-shaped pendant depicting Johann Wolfgang Goethe and his wife Christiane in profile. Total weight approx. 5.77 g.

Pair of "Goethe" Berlin iron earrings, made of blackened Berlin iron and silver. Medallion-shaped pendant depicting Johann Wolfgang Goethe and his wife Christiane in profile. Total weight approx. 5.77 g. During the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century, the Prussian Princess Marianne launched a campaign under the slogan “I gave gold for iron” to help defend Prussia. In a grand procession along the boulevard Unter den Linden in Berlin, the ladies of high society, led by the princess, presented their gold jewelry to the king as a gift. In return, the donors received cast-iron jewelry in exchange for their jewels, which they wore from then on with patriotic pride. Pair of earrings set with a portrait of Goethe and his wife, made of Berlin iron.