Not everyone likes chandeliers, but Bin Bin does! She jump-started her design with an open scrolled chandelier finding and then experimented with combinations of glass and pewter beads until she got the look she liked!

It's no surprise why they are called chandeliers as they sort of resemble the light fixtures' complexity.

Earrings go back a long way - the earliest archaeological evidence comes from Western Asia some 5000 years ago. Women have worn them constantly since then except for the medieval period when hairstyles and various headgear covered the ears. But the popularity of earrings returned with the up swept hairdos of the 17th century. The 17th century saw many pendant earrings, called girandoles - much more elaborate and heavier than our chandelier earrings today. Some were so heavy that ribbons were attached to the earrings and to the hairdo helped take up the weight. Such is the price of vanity!

Reference

Earrings : From Antiquity to Present
http://www.amazon.com/Earrings-Antiquity-Present-Daniela-Mascetti/dp/0500281610