Ring Rose Gold Malachite Russia ca. 1915
Beautifully carved malachite and rose gold dome ring made in Russia, ca. 1915.
The rich color in shades of green is enhanced by the expertise of the carver.
A statement piece for the independant lady - colorful but elegant at the same time.
The luxuriant, swirling patterns of malachite have striking light and dark green marbling that is unmistakable. The startling beauty of this stone has come to represent sensuality and beauty.
With its concentric, eye-like rings of green that mimic the eye of a peacock feather, this stone has captured the imagination of many cultures for ages.
The first culture to use malachite for adornment was ancient Egypt around 4,000 BC. The Egyptians used malachite as an ornamental stone in jewelry and art. The stone was imported from King Solomon's infamous copper mines on the Red Sea. Archeologists have found Egyptian tomb paintings using malachite gemstones that had been ground into paint that colored the walls. It was also ground into a fine dust and mixed with galena, a thick paste used to make kohl, on slate palettes to be painted onto eyelids as a cosmetic and talisman against evil. Vivid green malachite kohl is believed to be Cleopatra's favorite cosmetic, and she was buried with a large vase of it for use in her afterlife.
Malachite also played an important role in European paintings during the Renaissance period of the 15th and 16th centuries as a pigment for paints and dyes. It is believed that many of the green colors found in Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel painting were painted with malachite-based oil paints.
It was the Russian Romanov...
Category
1920s European Jugendstil Vintage Malachite Dome Rings
MaterialsMalachite, Rose Gold