Thumb rings of this shape were originally used in archery as a way of releasing the bowstring accurately without injuring the hand. In the Mughal period, rings made from various hardstones including jade and agate, as in this example, were emblems of royalty. This ring was one of a group of three, all said to have been acquired immediately after the Siege of Seringapatam in 1799 when the contents of Tipu Sultan's treasury were shared out between the British soldiers who defeated the ruler of Mysore. A note written by a former owner, Hannah Baillie (nee Greensill), wife of the Hon. William Douglas Hall Baillie, Member of the Legislative Council of New Zealand (1827-1922), states: "These thumb rings were your Gt. grandfather's share of the loot taken after the 3rd (& last) siege of Seringabatam [sic] in 1799 when the great Fortress was taken and Tippoo Saib himself slain whilst fighting desperately, together with 8000 men ...". Mrs Baillie wrote this 'for Para Marlborough & formerly Captain in 24th Regt. given to their daughter Eliza Balombe Brown, & then to her daughter Marjorie Spencer' (Spinks, Indian and Islamic Works of Art, London Monday 27 April to Friday 22 May, 1992, cat. 48).