These incredibly chic Georgian drop earrings twinkle with dozens of cut steel beads. Cutting steel was arduous process that involved taking small hunks of the industrial metal, faceting them just like a lapidary would a gemstone, and then riveting them one-by-one to a base component. So much work! The practice was first used for adorning shoe buckles in the late 18th century and was adopted by the jewelry trade around the turn of the 19th century. The steel "stones" create a diamond-like glitter that was (still is!) particularly effective in low lighting.