Antique Stuart Rock Crystal Ring Gold Wire Cipher circa 1700 Georgian English

A large antique English Georgian era gentleman’s gold signet ring, circa 1830. In the centre there is a flat-cut and bezel-set octagonal carneli...

A gorgeous 18th century Italian hardstone cameo ring. This beautiful four layered sardonyx cameo is carved from a single piece of agate with immense skill to reveal the bust of the G...

An ancient Romano-British carved jasper intaglio dating from the 2nd to 3rd century AD, set in a later gold mount dating from the late 18th century. The intaglio is intricately carve...

A large, heavy gold Irish noble signet ring, set with a carnelian intaglio depicting the coat of arms of the aristocratic Cole family. The stone would have originally been set into a...

A superb and rare ancient Indus Valley etched carnelian bead ring. The conical shaped carnelian gemstone in the centre dates from the middle of the third millennium BC. Deep orange in colour with white patterned etchings, these beads originate from the Indus Valley civilisation (parts of modern day Pakistan and India). These carnelian beads were alkaline-bleached to develop the geometric white patterns visible on the exterior. The technique was first developed by the Harappans of the Indus Valley civilisation, and vast quantities have been found in archaeological sites all across the Indus Valley. The conical stone has been set in a later high-karat gold ring mount, the hoop is hollow and of circular cross section which widens towards the bezel. This design and shape is typical of ancient gold rings...

A very unusual antique gold ring set with a carved brown and white hardstone cameo depicting the theatrical comic mask of Silenus, the Greek mythological old rustic god of wine-making and drunkenness. The ring was made in the late 19th century and carries French control marks for 18K gold, whilst the cameo is probably Italian and made slightly earlier, circa 1800. Silenus was a companion to the wine god Dionysus, and suitably he was a notorious consumer of wine, usually drunk and supported by satyrs or carried by a donkey. Silenus was described as the oldest, wisest and most drunken of the followers of Dionysus, and was said to possess special knowledge and the power of prophecy when intoxicated. He presides over the other satyrs and is related to musical creativity, prophetic ecstasy, drunken joy and drunken dances. Silenus was usually depicted as a jovial old man, bald yet bearded, with a pot-belly, thick lips and snub-nose. The masks worn to play him in theatre really emphasised these features, as you can see with this cameo carving Theatre was a key part of ancient Greek culture. The theatrical masks worn by the actors, known as ‘prosopon’, served various purposes. They enabled individual actors to play multiple roles (or genders) in the same performance; the exaggerated expressions helped define the character being portrayed; they helped spectators in the back rows to tell the characters apart. This particular masked as mentioned before is a comedic Silenus, please see final photo for other examples of Silenus masks in museum collections. UK size N 1/2, US size 7 4.84g 18K gold French ‘tête...

Fine antique Georgian style 14K gold aristocratic crest signet ring featuring an ornate Coat of Arms depicting a stag and a lion holding a shield with three hands and chevron symbols...

Greek, Archaic period, circa 500 B.C. An ancient gold swivel – signet ring with a finely carved rock crystal scarab (Scarabaeus beetle). In an...

Stuart Crystal Rings such as this were made in the mid 18th century to memorialize the murder of King Charles who was killed in 1649. They are the ...

A rare, beautiful and magical Stuart Crystal Ring set in 15 Kt gold and backed in sterling silver. Before I say more please understand that none of...

Fine Georgian period early 19th century bloodstone and 14K Rose gold intaglio signet ring depicting Zeus with bolts of lightning. The oval shaped bloodstone with rich natural red inc...

Ring in 18 carats white gold. White gold ring with geometric lines, it is set on its top with a facetted lapis lazuli shouldered on either side of a rock crystal that follows the con...