Ring
c. 1250-1300 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Rings are the most commonly surviving medieval jewels. They were worn by both sexes, across all levels of society. Some portraits show wearers with multiple rings across all their fingers.
Sapphires used in medieval jewellery came from Sri Lanka, and could be found in a number of different colours, although blue is the most common. Until the fifteenth century gems were usually cut en cabochon, that is to say, simply polished into a rounded shape. The often irregular stone meant that a claw setting was one of the most effective ways of holding the gem in place.
Sapphires used in medieval jewellery came from Sri Lanka, and could be found in a number of different colours, although blue is the most common. Until the fifteenth century gems were usually cut en cabochon, that is to say, simply polished into a rounded shape. The often irregular stone meant that a claw setting was one of the most effective ways of holding the gem in place.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Gold; blue sapphire, purple sapphires |
Brief description | Gold ring, the projecting four claw bezel is set with a sapphire, flanked by small purple sapphires. Europe, c. 1250-1300. |
Physical description | Gold ring, the projecting four claw bezel set with a large blue sapphire, flanked by small purple sapphires, each in a circular setting. |
Dimensions |
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Object history | Found at Epsom. Ex Harman-Oates Collection |
Summary | Rings are the most commonly surviving medieval jewels. They were worn by both sexes, across all levels of society. Some portraits show wearers with multiple rings across all their fingers. Sapphires used in medieval jewellery came from Sri Lanka, and could be found in a number of different colours, although blue is the most common. Until the fifteenth century gems were usually cut en cabochon, that is to say, simply polished into a rounded shape. The often irregular stone meant that a claw setting was one of the most effective ways of holding the gem in place. |
Bibliographic reference | Campbell, Marian, Medieval Jewellery in Europe 1100-1500, London, V&A Publishing, 2009, p. 29, fig. 25 |
Collection | |
Accession number | M.7-1929 |
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Record created | March 13, 2006 |
Record URL |
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