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Gold Ring Set with Glass Imitating Emerald
, Byzantine, early 6th centuryGold and glass
Height 27.7 mm; exterior diameter of hoop 21.8 mm; bezel 11.8 x 9.5 mm; weight 6.9 g; US size 6 ½; UK size M ½
Gold Ring Set with Glass Imitating Emerald
Gold and glass
Byzantine, early 6th century
Height 27.7 mm; exterior diameter of hoop 21.8 mm; bezel 11.8 x 9.5 mm; weight 6.9 g; US size 6 ½; UK size M ½
$40000.00
The convex green glass set in the bezel imitates a cabochon emerald. It is not uncommon to find glass imitations of gemstones set in Roman and Byzantine jewelry, even fine gold rings such as this. No doubt these rings would have been less expensive than rings set with gems, although still very valuable in view of the quantity of gold.
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Description
The convex green glass set in the bezel imitates a cabochon emerald. It is not uncommon to find glass imitations of gemstones set in Roman and Byzantine jewelry, even fine gold rings such as this. No doubt these rings would have been less expensive than rings set with gems, although still very valuable inview of the quantity of gold. The relative values of gems in the late Romanand Byzantine period are largely unknown, although there was clearly an increased interest in rare stones, such as sapphire, emerald, and garnet, aswell as pearls, in late Roman and Byzantine times.
Literature
Jeffrey Spier, Byzantium and the West: Jewelry in the First Millenium, cat. no. 11.