Roman Gold Ring

Circa 2nd Century AD

Description:  Very fine intact gold finger ring with a plain, ruddy-colored stone, perhaps cabochon garnet.  Plain, oval-sectioned hoop expanding to wide shoulders, and an oval flattened area centered with the stone set in a round bezel.  Worn by a child or young woman in antiquity.  

Ring Size:  Approximately size 5 (15.6 mm)

Weight:  Approximately 2.0 grams with stone 

Condition:  Intact.  Surface of stone worn and possibly reset.  A wonderful example of ancient jewellery.   

Provenance:  Formerly in the collection of Carroll Wales, a distinguished Harvard-educated scholar and conservator who collected primarily from 1952-1970 during his extensive travels throughout the Middle East.  

Reference:  See Classical Gold Jewellery and the Classical Tradition, Volume 5 by Jack Ogden (Society of Jewellery Historians 1991), p. 35, #5 and 6, for two comparative examples in the British Museum. 

Price:  $850