Popes, princes and wealthy patrons collected both genuine Greco-Roman engraved gems and commissioned reproductions. The Italian Renaissance brought great interest in Classical culture and art. It is not a Renaissance, Georgian, Victorian or later reproduction. This ring is not a reproduction or marriage, old or new. This museum quality piece is that rarest survivor, an intact ancient Roman sapphire intaglio gold ring in very good condition and made circa 2nd Century AD. In the early days of the Republic engraved stones and rings mostly served a practical purpose as signets (to impress seals) but by the time this ring was made intaglio rings were also popular items of jewelry, adornments with no such practical use. A right gradually extended by degrees at first to consuls and senators then the equestrian order until by the late Empire any free born citizen could wear a gold ring. Prior to this sapphire could only be worked with emery but this was a slow and laborious process.Īt first the right to wear a gold ring (the jus annuli aurei) was severely restricted, granted only to ambassadors serving abroad. However once Greek artisans developed or acquired diamond tipped tools and abrasives it became possible to engrave sapphire more easily and in finer detail. Sapphire is of much greater hardness than the gems commonly found in ancient cameos and intaglios, for example carnelian agate amethyst and so on. In ancient Rome sapphire intaglios were both rare and valuable partly because sapphire itself was rare and valuable but also because of the technical difficulties of engraving it. In bright light it is also a slightly lighter toned blue than it appears in the photographs. The sapphire is very transparent though of course this isn't apparent in the engraved sections but can be seen in the polished areas. The sapphire intaglio is rub over set in a handmade high carat gold ring, a tapered hoop swelling at the shoulders and fashioned from gold sheet which makes for an impressive sized and striking finger ring that is still comfortable to wear. Fashioned from fine colour natural blue sapphire, about 4.5 carats. ![]() The visible engraved gem measures 12.35mm by 10.05mm, the edges concealed by the rub over setting so the stone a little larger than this. Minerva (Athena) as the goddess of warfare helmeted and ready for battle, protecting and inspiring her own troops and terrifying the enemy with her horrific gaze. This intaglio is skillfully engraved, the subject depicted so well. The engraved natural sapphire intaglio a bust left, it likely depicts Minerva (Athena) helmeted and with characteristic penetrating and fearsome gaze, here clearly in her guise as the goddess of warfare. An extremely rare and very fine ancient sapphire intaglio gold ring, Roman circa 2nd Century AD.
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