Rings

  • 4th - 2nd century B.C.
  • Gold, garnet, obsidian
Catalogue Entry

4th‐2nd century B.C.
Gold, garnet, obsidian
(a)H. 0.9 cm, W. 2.0 cm(b)H. 1.2 cm, W. 2.1 cm
cH. 1.1 cm, W. 2.1 cm(d)H. 1.2 cm, W. 2.3 cm
(e)H. 1.8 cm, W. 2.1 cm(f)H. 1.9 cm, W. 3.2 cm
(g)H. 1.7 cm, W. 2.4 cm(h)H. 1.5 cm, W. 1.9 cm
(i)H. 0.9 cm, W. 2.1 cm(j)H. 0.9 cm, W. 1.8 cm
(k)H. 1.2 cm, W. 2.1 cm(l)H. 0.8 cm, W. 1.9 cm
(m)H. 0.8 cm, W. 1.9 cm(n)H. 0.9 cm, W. 2.3 cm
(o)H. 0.8 cm, W. 2.1 cm(p)H. 1.3 cm, W. 2.2 cm
(q)H. 2.1 cm, W. 2.5 cm
(a) A woman's head has been sculpted on a gold ring. She is wearing large, amphora-shaped earrings, and her hair is carved in detail. The face surface is abraded after long years of wear.
(b) A gold ring is made up of a carved spiral design and two grooves and is fitted with a round surface. A lion's face looking directly out at the viewer is sculpted onto this surface. The round frame is decorated with a ring of granules.
c, (d) Each of these rings has an oval setting decorated around the edge with granules. Ring c has a floral design and Ring d has a geometric design of triangles and crescents, all worked as fine gold sheet separators. The various cavities created by these separations would have been fit with multi-colored glass. Ring d is carved with a cornice-shaped design.
(e), (f) Gold rings fitted with oval settings. Ring e is inlaid with an oval garnet, while Ring f has lost the inlaid stone from its setting.
(g), (h) Gold rings inlaid with oval-shaped pieces. Ring g is inlaid with lead, and ring h lost its inlaid piece.
(i) A gold ring is fitted with an oval setting outlined in fine dotting and inlaid with a dark gray-colored stone. The setting shape and stone shape do not match, and hence it is thought that the original stone was lost and at some point in antiquity the present stone was used as a replacement. There are traces of intaglio carving on the surface of the stone, but it is abraded and its design cannot be determined.
(j), (k), (m) These gold rings are fitted with either oval or round settings which are decorated with fine dotting. Rings j and m have spiral-design rings, while Ring k is a band of three rows of cord-like spiral design.
(l) Gold chains were banded to form a ring with an attached oval setting. The surface of the ring is decorated with large dotting which has been heavily abraded.
(n) A protruding lens-shaped centerpiece has been attached to a gold ring. The edge of the centerpiece is decorated with granules.