The ring is composed of a twist of three smooth wires lined with very fine knotted wires. One of the tips ends in a point; the other ends at a lion's head formed of two stamped and welded gold leaves.
The transition between the lion's head and the twisted wires is formed by a gorget decorated in accordance with the techniques of filigree and granulation.
Other examples, which have been preserved whole, show that these fineries were worn with the lion's head against the earlobe. The tapered end went through the earlobe to be fixed into a loop in the interior of the lion's mouth.
This type of earring appeared in the ancient Greek world at the end of the 4th century B.C. In some cases, the twisted golden threads rolled up around a core made of another material, which is not visible today because of its perishable nature.
This pair of earrings was found in a sepulchre under a tumulus several miles west of Thessaloniki, which was desecrated in ancient times. The tomb was explored by French soldiers, under the aegis of the Service Archéologique de l'Armée d'Orient, during the First World War. Its location has not been identified since.
