EMPEROR HADRIAN AND HIS WIFE SABINA Authentic Roman Coins 925 Silver Earrings
These sterling silver earrings were designed by me and handcrafted by the artisans of my shop, SERRA, founded in 1910 and located at Via Margutta 57 in the historic center of Rome, just a short walk from the Spanish Steps.
The earrings feature two authentic Roman coins depicting Emperor Hadrian and his wife Vibia Sabina.
Hadrian is remembered for his extensive travels, ambitious building projects, and his efforts to unify the far-reaching provinces of the Roman Empire. Cultured and highly educated, he was also a patron of the arts and a poet. Important monuments from his reign still stand today, including the Temple of Venus and Roma. He also rebuilt the Pantheon after it had been destroyed by fire during the reign of his predecessor.
His country residence, Villa Adriana (Hadrian’s Villa), located just outside Rome, represents the architectural epitome of Roman opulence and elegance. Covering approximately seven square miles, it was conceived more as a garden city than a simple villa, with baths, libraries, sculpture gardens, theatres, open-air dining halls, pavilions, and private suites—many of which survive to this day. In 1999, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Hadrian’s tomb, now known as Castel Sant’Angelo, later became the burial place of successive emperors and was converted into a fortress in the 5th century.
Vibia Sabina (83–136/137) was Roman Empress, wife and second cousin once removed of Hadrian. She was the daughter of Matidia (niece of Emperor Trajan) and the suffect consul Lucius Vibius Sabinus. After her father’s death in 84, Sabina and her half-sister Matidia Minor went to live with their maternal grandmother, Marciana.
Sabina married Hadrian in the year 100 at the request of Empress Plotina. When Hadrian succeeded her great-uncle in 117, Sabina became empress. Her mother Matidia—who was also Hadrian’s second cousin—supported the marriage.
Sabina received more public honors in Rome and throughout the provinces than any imperial woman since Livia, wife of Augustus. She was the first woman whose image appeared on a regular and continuous series of coins minted in Rome. The most widely traveled and visible empress of her time, she was awarded the title of Augusta in 128.
Our jewelry store, Serra Roma, proudly presents an exquisite collection that beautifully honors the ancient traditions of Greek and Roman civilizations. Each piece in our collection, including authentic ancient Roman and Greek coins and intaglios, is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity, providing proof of its historical significance and origin.
