Gold hoop 'Aelia' earrings, embellished with green resin beads. Inspired by the earring designs of the ancient Romans, these earrings take their name from the Empress Aelia Eudocia, a writer and a poet who grew up in Athens. When her father died he left her only 100 gold coins, reasoning that while her brothers would need a share of his estate, her beauty and reason would be enough for Aelia to make her own way in the world. His prediction proved true, for she married the Emperor of the East, and eventually became a saint.