Name: Antique Poison Ring Locket Ring Lapis Lazuli 14 Karat Gold
Brand: Unknown
Rating: 5 (72 reviews)

Antique Poison Ring Locket Ring Lapis Lazuli 14 Karat Gold

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About the Item

The magnificent locket or poison ring is an antique gem. It features an absolutely gorgeous rectangular Lapis Lazuli gem in the center of the 14 Karat Gold Ring. The top of the ring opens to reveal a locket compartment. Antique rings such as these were originally used for poison in ancient times, or for relics, mementos, portraits, or scents. They are extremely desirable today. The Lapis cabochon is stunning with a deep blue color and abundant flecks of gold throughout. The Lapis is set within a 14 Karat Gold border. The top of the ring has a wonderful scroll cartouche. The top opens to reveal the locket compartment underneath. This is wonderful large compartment. The locket opens and closes securely. The ring is 14 Karat Gold and is a substantial ring, weighing 16.2 grams. This is one of my favorite rings with the beautiful antique Lapis with wonderful warmth and character and the tantalizing history of the poison locket compartment. The top of the ring including the scroll cartouche is 32mm (1 1/4 inches) long and 19mm (3/4 inches) wide. The top of the ring sits 12mm above the finger. The Lapis Lazuli is 19mm by 15mm. The locket compartment is 24mm long at the top and 20mm long at the recessed portion. It is 18mm wide and 14mm wide at the recessed portion. It is approximately 5mm deep. The ring is currently a size 6.5 US (M 1/2 UK) and can be easily resized if desired. The ring weighs 16.2 grams. It is a perfect time to do a postmortem on poison rings – those devious jewels whose secret compartments supposedly held deadly contents. A shroud of mystery and rumor surrounds them, so their reputation is fittingly a mash-up of fact and fiction. Originating in ancient India and the Far East, the poison ring eventually made its way to Europe. The traditional poison ring had a very small container hidden under a hinged cover. Ancient Romans sometimes used poison rings to commit suicide when a painful death was unavoidable. The historian Pliny, the Elder (23-79 CE) recounts how a Roman government official escaped torture by taking a bite out of his poison ring (a thin shell was the container for the poison). The teenaged Emperor Heliogabalus (203 CE – 222 CE), feared because of his cruelty and notorious for his debauchery, wore a poison ring – but was assassinated before he could ingest its contents. A poison ring may have also played a part in ending an aristocratic feud between two powerful families in the Middle Ages. In the 21st century, archeologists in Bulgaria unearthed a bronze ring with a secret compartment. It is theorized that poison in the ring may have been used by Dobrotitsa (1347-1386), the ruler of Despotate of Dobrudja, against an influential family in the Kaliakra fortress. Poison rings – alternately referred to as pillbox, compartment, locket or vessel rings – also had a benign purpose. During the Middle Ages, they were often used to hide relics of saints, like bits of their hair, bone and teeth, which were thought to protect the wearer from various calamities and maladies. During the Renaissance, the aristocracy used them to hold cologne, locks of hair, and portraits of loved ones. Lucrezia Borgia (1480-1519), an Italian noblewoman and only daughter of Pope Alexander VI, was said to be adept at using poison rings for disposing of political rivals. Experts note that disguising the taste of poison and making a dose powerful enough to be fatal but still fit in a ring was extremely difficult – so victims by this method of murder may have been few.

Ring Size:
6.5 US, Resizable
Metal:
Gold,14k Gold,Yellow Gold
Stone:
Lapis Lazuli
Stone Cut:
Cabochon
Weight:
16.2 g
Style:
Victorian
Place of Origin:
Unknown
Period:
20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
19th-20th Century
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU1476211948802

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