A BYZANTINE-STYLE GARNET AND PEARL GOLD RING
Possibly Italy or Greece, 18th - 19th century or earlier

The elaborate gold openwork circular shank featuring a band of linked roundels in-filled with pearls strung on gold wire, surmounted by a tall conical openwork bezel with a frieze of inverted drop-shaped granulated panels also in-filled with pearl, the circular head with a garnet cabochon in high-collet setting in the middle, surrounded by a circular crown of eleven pearls strung on a wire and held in place by four hoops, further granulation around the outer border.

3.5cm x 1.3cm

Ring size 55 / 7.5

1.75cm diameter

14.78gr.

The design and style of the present ring show great affinity with 5th to 7th-century Byzantine models. In particular, the tall conical bezel stands out for its distinctive shape, reminiscent of early Medieval Byzantine ecclesiastical rings often worn by bishops or high-status clergymen. Yet, some of its finishing touches and overall proportions may lead to speculate whether the ring was instead the product of the Neoclassical and Late Antiquity revival witnessed in many European countries in the late 18th - 19th century, especially in Italy. The renewed interest for the past was not only confined to Ancient Rome or Hellenic Greece. Many artists, designer and jewellers started producing artworks slavishly emulating specimen from Ancient Egypt (Egyptomania), the Kingdom of Etruria, as well as the Eastern shores of the Byzantine world, mesmerising their clients with designs that maintained their evergreen desirability through the centuries and giving rise to the formation of Classical revival or Arcaheolgical revival jewellery.