With this ring...
I’d like to make a wager with you. But I have to say that there would be no point because I would win – in all probability. The reason? You are holding this delightful magazine in your hands and on those hands are certainly one, if not more, rings.
Rings have fascinated in all their many guises since the earliest civilisations, as symbols of wealth, status, power, fealty and taste. They also can conceal secrets and send discreet messages as well as obvious ones – the ultimate silent communicators.
1. and 2. Front and back views of a gold ring, with vine leaves at the shoulders, the oblong bezel set with a table-cut sapphire. Private collection 3. A gold ring with a double hoop inscribed in Latin, translated as ‘What therefore God has joined together let not man put asunder.’ German, 1631. Zucker Family collection 4. A gold ring by Jean Fouquet, Paris c. 1950. Private collection
Diana Scarisbrick’s book on rings traces, in immaculate, lavish detail, the multifarious history of this universal adornment from the simple but beautiful hoops of gold from the ancient world to the architectural sophistication of Art Deco – with many surprises in between. I was delighted to read this book because I have been a ring fanatic – is there a correct technical term for this? – for decades and every week as something of an obsession, hike around antiques markets specifically to seek and find something for my digits.
It all began with a Georgian ring – Alexander the Great carved from black opal surrounded by rose-cut diamonds, the cost of which, at the time, might have bought a tiny garage in Knightsbridge. Extravagance? No. Necessity? Yes. The lure of the thing was impossible to ignore and I never take it off. Those with a similar obsession or simply distant appreciation will understand the immaculate detail of Ms Scarisbrick’s tome. Rings of all periods feature, which are drawn not only from major museums but also from private collections, especially from the celebrated gem dealer and art patron, Benjamin Zucker.
A gold and silver ring, c. 1760. The round bezel is set with a brilliant-cut diamond framed in a ruby border and surrounded by interlaced ribbons of emeralds, diamonds and sapphires. Estate of Martin Norton 6. Gold snake ring with black coils and diamond eyes, inscribed N. M. de Rothschild Obt 1836. The Earl and Countess of Roseberry 7. The Roman-style bezel of this gold ring is set with an onyx cameo, depicting Leander swimming towards Hero: 19th century. Private collection
Arranged not chronologically but thematically, tackling topics such as decorative rings, rings associated with illustrious people, ecclesiastical rings and a specific chapter on the diamond ring – the diamond being an internationally understood symbol of cachet and a certain elan.
But the chief joy of this book is the sheer lavish luxury it conveys in so many ways. It highlights the intricacy of especially those rings that become miniature sculptures for the hand, with their carved hoops and shoulders in the form of animals, crests and in one case, a curious monster holding in its mouth an oval opal. This ring by Child and Child, apparently somehow associated with Oscar Wilde, bears the inscription, ‘I am his best friend’. Provenance is uncertain but the enamelled emerald green and ruby red creature would certainly have rested well on the finger of the largerthan- life Mr Wilde.
Two panthers, with emerald eyes, grip a cabochon sapphire engraved with the arms of Peter Black, as a present to his wife Monica on their marriage. By Cartier, 1956. Estate of ‘Rings have fascinated since the earliest civilisations as symbols of wealth, status, power, fealty and taste’ Mrs Monica Black 9. Another view of the gold ring with a double hoop inscribed in Latin German, 1631. Zucker Family collection 12. A single table-cut stone foiled blue dominates this gold ring (1610). Private collection
The book also reminds us that then, as today, old pieces of jewellery from complete parures to single items may be taken apart and reformed was rings to suit a wearer’s taste or the vagaries of fashion or trend. Several Roman cameos for example, popular in the 18th century, were turned into rings; one-time brooches and parts of earrings similarly so. One charming example is a memorial ring, dated 1822 and inscribed ‘Percy Bysshe Shelley’. The bezel is set with a moss green chalcedony intaglio featuring a female form – possibly Hygeia, daughter of Asclepius, swathed in classical drapery facing a snake, surmounting a tree trunk or column.
Apart from conveying messages about the wearer, the obvious examples being an engagement or wedding ring, Ms Scarisbrick reminds the reader of the times when death, for instance, would be commemorated with rings featuring funerary urns constructed out of diamond or cushion- cut diamonds or intaglios of Cupid leaning on a reversed and so extinguished torch. Of course, the ever present and immediate symbol of the grinning or leering skull, too.
Several of these are to be viewed at the Victoria & Albert’s superb jewellery collection arranged over two floors and plunged in strategic tomblike gloom, making the visitor feel like a discoverer. Messages of being spoken for were common during the Victorian age for example, with a typical ring with what at first seems a curious arrangement of gems but when decoded, understood. Ruby, emerald, garnet, amethyst, ruby and diamond, taking each initial letter spells ‘regard’ (the most popular word on acrostic jewellery). Often this was the first stage before a formal engagement or simply a ruse worn by some to halt philandering dandies in their tracks. Even today it is not unusual for some ladies to sport a wedding ring, especially when travelling alone, as it may deter unwanted attention.
11 Gold and silver ring with a floral bezel set with emeralds and diamonds: 18th century. Zucker Family collection 12 This ring has six hoops, each carrying a diamond letter, which come together to spell the word ‘amite’: c. 1800. Private collection 13 Two rings set with stones. Their initial letters spell out the message 'regard'
Rings also keep secrets. The most usual is in the form of an inscription on the inside of the hoop – a love message perhaps or a special thought for the wearer only, a significant date or a sign of loyalty. With this in mind, we are reminded of the execution of Charles I and the fact that many who attended this very public spectacle hurried to the block to soak up the king’s blood in strips of linen to be enclosed in rings and lockets commissioned by Royalists.
Strangely, or not so perhaps, the jewellery of the 20th century in this selection, especially from the 1940s, 1950s or 1980s, lack the romance, drama and even fine execution of the rings of yesteryear. The intricacy of the medieval period or the lavishness of the Georgians – the way those rings told stories – seems not to be replicated. But this does not mar a fine book and a delicious indulgence.
Rings: Jewelry Of Power, Love And Loyalty, by Diana Scarisbrick, is published by Thames & Hudson, priced £19.95.
Rings have fascinated in all their many guises since the earliest civilisations, as symbols of wealth, status, power, fealty and taste. They also can conceal secrets and send discreet messages as well as obvious ones – the ultimate silent communicators.
1. and 2. Front and back views of a gold ring, with vine leaves at the shoulders, the oblong bezel set with a table-cut sapphire. Private collection 3. A gold ring with a double hoop inscribed in Latin, translated as ‘What therefore God has joined together let not man put asunder.’ German, 1631. Zucker Family collection 4. A gold ring by Jean Fouquet, Paris c. 1950. Private collectionDiana Scarisbrick’s book on rings traces, in immaculate, lavish detail, the multifarious history of this universal adornment from the simple but beautiful hoops of gold from the ancient world to the architectural sophistication of Art Deco – with many surprises in between. I was delighted to read this book because I have been a ring fanatic – is there a correct technical term for this? – for decades and every week as something of an obsession, hike around antiques markets specifically to seek and find something for my digits.
It all began with a Georgian ring – Alexander the Great carved from black opal surrounded by rose-cut diamonds, the cost of which, at the time, might have bought a tiny garage in Knightsbridge. Extravagance? No. Necessity? Yes. The lure of the thing was impossible to ignore and I never take it off. Those with a similar obsession or simply distant appreciation will understand the immaculate detail of Ms Scarisbrick’s tome. Rings of all periods feature, which are drawn not only from major museums but also from private collections, especially from the celebrated gem dealer and art patron, Benjamin Zucker.
A gold and silver ring, c. 1760. The round bezel is set with a brilliant-cut diamond framed in a ruby border and surrounded by interlaced ribbons of emeralds, diamonds and sapphires. Estate of Martin Norton 6. Gold snake ring with black coils and diamond eyes, inscribed N. M. de Rothschild Obt 1836. The Earl and Countess of Roseberry 7. The Roman-style bezel of this gold ring is set with an onyx cameo, depicting Leander swimming towards Hero: 19th century. Private collectionArranged not chronologically but thematically, tackling topics such as decorative rings, rings associated with illustrious people, ecclesiastical rings and a specific chapter on the diamond ring – the diamond being an internationally understood symbol of cachet and a certain elan.
But the chief joy of this book is the sheer lavish luxury it conveys in so many ways. It highlights the intricacy of especially those rings that become miniature sculptures for the hand, with their carved hoops and shoulders in the form of animals, crests and in one case, a curious monster holding in its mouth an oval opal. This ring by Child and Child, apparently somehow associated with Oscar Wilde, bears the inscription, ‘I am his best friend’. Provenance is uncertain but the enamelled emerald green and ruby red creature would certainly have rested well on the finger of the largerthan- life Mr Wilde.
Two panthers, with emerald eyes, grip a cabochon sapphire engraved with the arms of Peter Black, as a present to his wife Monica on their marriage. By Cartier, 1956. Estate of ‘Rings have fascinated since the earliest civilisations as symbols of wealth, status, power, fealty and taste’ Mrs Monica Black 9. Another view of the gold ring with a double hoop inscribed in Latin German, 1631. Zucker Family collection 12. A single table-cut stone foiled blue dominates this gold ring (1610). Private collectionThe book also reminds us that then, as today, old pieces of jewellery from complete parures to single items may be taken apart and reformed was rings to suit a wearer’s taste or the vagaries of fashion or trend. Several Roman cameos for example, popular in the 18th century, were turned into rings; one-time brooches and parts of earrings similarly so. One charming example is a memorial ring, dated 1822 and inscribed ‘Percy Bysshe Shelley’. The bezel is set with a moss green chalcedony intaglio featuring a female form – possibly Hygeia, daughter of Asclepius, swathed in classical drapery facing a snake, surmounting a tree trunk or column.
Apart from conveying messages about the wearer, the obvious examples being an engagement or wedding ring, Ms Scarisbrick reminds the reader of the times when death, for instance, would be commemorated with rings featuring funerary urns constructed out of diamond or cushion- cut diamonds or intaglios of Cupid leaning on a reversed and so extinguished torch. Of course, the ever present and immediate symbol of the grinning or leering skull, too.
Several of these are to be viewed at the Victoria & Albert’s superb jewellery collection arranged over two floors and plunged in strategic tomblike gloom, making the visitor feel like a discoverer. Messages of being spoken for were common during the Victorian age for example, with a typical ring with what at first seems a curious arrangement of gems but when decoded, understood. Ruby, emerald, garnet, amethyst, ruby and diamond, taking each initial letter spells ‘regard’ (the most popular word on acrostic jewellery). Often this was the first stage before a formal engagement or simply a ruse worn by some to halt philandering dandies in their tracks. Even today it is not unusual for some ladies to sport a wedding ring, especially when travelling alone, as it may deter unwanted attention.
11 Gold and silver ring with a floral bezel set with emeralds and diamonds: 18th century. Zucker Family collection 12 This ring has six hoops, each carrying a diamond letter, which come together to spell the word ‘amite’: c. 1800. Private collection 13 Two rings set with stones. Their initial letters spell out the message 'regard'Rings also keep secrets. The most usual is in the form of an inscription on the inside of the hoop – a love message perhaps or a special thought for the wearer only, a significant date or a sign of loyalty. With this in mind, we are reminded of the execution of Charles I and the fact that many who attended this very public spectacle hurried to the block to soak up the king’s blood in strips of linen to be enclosed in rings and lockets commissioned by Royalists.
Strangely, or not so perhaps, the jewellery of the 20th century in this selection, especially from the 1940s, 1950s or 1980s, lack the romance, drama and even fine execution of the rings of yesteryear. The intricacy of the medieval period or the lavishness of the Georgians – the way those rings told stories – seems not to be replicated. But this does not mar a fine book and a delicious indulgence.
Rings: Jewelry Of Power, Love And Loyalty, by Diana Scarisbrick, is published by Thames & Hudson, priced £19.95.