- Ring
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Ring
- Place of origin:
Europe (made)
- Date:
1800-69 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Unknown
- Materials and Techniques:
Faceted fire opal, mounted in gold
- Credit Line:
Given by Sir A. H. Church
- Museum number:
M.8-1913
- Gallery location:
Jewellery, Rooms 91, The William and Judith Bollinger Gallery, case 50, shelf M, box 168
Opal is created when water containing microscopically small spheres of silica settles in cavities and veins in the Earth. Opals occur in a great variety of body colours. Those with an iridescent play of colour are known as 'precious', those without are termed 'common'. Opals contain up to 10% water. This makes them particularly vulnerable to damage from dehydration and from immersion in some cleaning products. Fire opal is a variety of opal which is often reddish or orange. Unlike other kinds of opal, it can be cut with facets.
The V&A owns an important collection of 154 gems bequeathed by the Reverend Chauncy Hare Townshend, a cleric and poet. Sir A. H. Church gave additional specimens, including this one, in 1913. He also compiled the first catalogue Precious Stones: A Guide to the Townshend Collection. The first edition appeared in 1883. The stones are mounted as rings, although they may not have been intended to be worn.
