Central to Eastern European. 18th century, tax mark for Prague, 1806-7. The bezel is a representation of the Temple and the letters MT, abbreviation for mazal tov, good luck.

Jewish marriage ring, gold, the hoop broad with row of raised dots along the middle and ridged edges; the bezel possibly representing the Tabernacle, or Solomon's Temple or the home and engraved with Hebrew letters for 'Good Luck'

Received from J & S Goldschmidt for £4. May 2nd 1873

Jewish Worship
Judaism is the oldest religion in the world to worship the one God.World Jewry has three main groups: Sephardic, Askenazic and Mizrahi (the Jews who never left the Middle East). All are bound together by a common history and their adherence to the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) and the Talmud (a compendium of rabbinic law and lore).

Jewish religious traditions and rituals centre on the home, the community and the synagogue. Central to Judaism is the observance of the Sabbath. This is a holy day, set apart from the rest of the working week. It begins one hour before sunset on Friday and ends on Saturday evening when three stars can be seen in the night sky.

The Jewish year revolves around a number of festivals, such as Passover. These originated in ancient times and embody multiple layers of meaning, from agricultural festivals to historical events.

The ritual gift of a ring during the Jewish marriage ceremony goes back to ancient times but is only documented since about 1400. The architectural form of this example may represent Solomon’s temple, the synagogue, or an ideal of the Jewish home, symbolising the mutual life of the couple. The Hebrew inscription (‘MT’ for ‘Mazel Tov’) wish good luck.

453-1873