LATE ROMAN GOLD RING WITH GARNET - FULL ANALYSIS

Ca. 200-400 AD. Late Roman. A wearable gold ring with an applied Roman oval bezel set with a cabochon garnet gem and a possibly later circular band decorated with parallel grooves. Excellent condition; the item has undergone X-ray fluorescence analysis to confirm the metallurgical content suggesting its ancient origin and lack of modern trace elements. It also comes with a gemological and historical report by an independent specialist Anna Rogers. As in many ancient societies, jewellery was an important social marker used to demonstrate wealth in ancient Rome. As a result of the expansion of the Roman Empire, jewellery became more and more elaborate in its designs and materials used, such as precious and semi-precious gemstones. Roman jewellery often reflected the culture the Romans came into contact with, and can be viewed as a testament to the prosperity and power of the Roman Empire. The most popular type of Roman jewellery were rings, as Romans of Imperial times enjoyed to wear large rings, extravagantly decorated with cameos or engraved precious stones. From the Roman Republic onwards, it became customary for all the senators, chief magistrates, and the equites to wear gold rings, known in Latin as 'annuli aurei', as a way to distinguish themselves from the plebeians. To find out more about Roman rings, see Higgins, R. (1980). Greek and Roman jewellery. London: Methuen. Size: D: 23.47mm / US: N/A / UK: Z +4; 5.8g. Provenance: Property of a North London professional; previously acquired on the UK/European art market in the 1990s.