This small gold earring was found in the Oude Kerk. Their context is shrouded in mystery; it is unknown how old the object is, who made it and where in the church it was found. Did a visitor lose the earring whilst visiting the church and did it end up among the tombstones? Or might the earring have come from a grave, given to a deceased person?

A remarkable fact about this type of earring is that it used to be worn by men, mainly boatmen and fishermen. Should the sailor be killed far from home, the proceeds from the gold could be used to pay for the burial expenses. Often the decoration of these men's earrings has a maritime theme, such as the dolphin here.

In this case, however, the ring is not made of solid gold but of gilded silver or copper. The object weighs 1.03 grams and has a diameter of 13 mm.