Ring stones of this type are an enigma and their intended function remains unknown. Their form and decoration suggest links to female fertility symbolism. The inner face of this stone is finely carved in low relief with female figures alternating with tripartite flowering stems, evoking the Buddhist ‘triratna’ symbol. The quatrefoil lozenge pattern is also seen on the Buddha’s ‘vajrasana’ throne seat at Bodhgaya. There it suggests a textile-inspired design.

It has been suggested that ring stones may have served as moulds. Goldsmiths might have used them to produce ear ornaments, such as those seen on ‘yaksha’ (nature-spirits) figures of this period and of a type which continued into the Kushan period (1st-3rd century AD).

Ring stones have been recorded across northern India, from Taxila in the north-west, the Punjab, to Patna in the east. They share a uniformity of materials and of design and a consistently high quality of carving. This, together with their portability, raises the possibility that they were produced in one centre and circulated as a form of luxury good along the early northern trade routes. A strong candidate as a production centre must be Pataliputra (modern Patna), the capital of the Mauryan kingdom of Magadha.