Rare Roman Bronze Ring Two Original Gemstones AD100Sz6 Start Price USD 329.99 Current Price USD 329.99 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Thursday, November 13, 2008 End Time Saturday, December 13, 2008 Location Lummi Island See more about 'Rare Roman Bronze Ring Two Original Gemstones AD100Sz6' Description Your browser does not support JavaScript. To view this page, enable JavaScript if it is disabled or upgrade your browser. Click here to see almost 800 archaeology/ancient history books and 500 authentic ancient artifacts on our eBay store! Fantastic Size 6 Roman Bronze "Solitaire" Style Ring with Two Original Gemstones 100 A.D. CLASSIFICATION: Ancient "Solitaire" Style Roman Bronze Ring. Original Gemstones One Composed of Either Turquoise or Faience (Primitive Glass); and One Composed of Rose Quartz, Amethyst, or Perhaps Tinted Glass. ATTRIBUTION: Eastern Roman Provincial Lycia (present day Southern Turkey), First Century A.D. SIZE/MEASUREMENTS: Fits ring size 6 (U.S.). Diameter: 21 1/2mm * 19mm (outer dimensions); 17mm (inner diameter). Bezel: 11 11/2mm (breadth). 6 1/2mm (height). 5mm (thickness) Green Turquoise Gemstone: Diameter: 4 1/2mm. Thickness: 3 1/2mm. Rose Quartz Gemstone: Diameter: 4mm. Thickness: 3mm. Tapered Width Band: 5mm (at bezel) * 2 1/2mm (at sides) * 2 1/2mm (at back). Weight: 2.40 grams. CONDITION: Excellent! Completely intact, light wear, very mild porosity (surface pitting caused by contact with earth while buried). Professionally conserved. DETAIL: An especially rare and beautiful, nicely crafted and well preserved ancient Roman bronze ring circa first century A.D. The ring is constructed from a very simple band featuring two cast cup/prong settings featuring two original gemstones. The appearance and construction is not too much unlike contemporary gemstone rings, though clearly the “prongs” are rather primitive, heavy, and “minimalistic”. But then of course the ring is two thousand years old, one cannot expect it to be a dead ringer for a contemporary ring. It’s impossible to be absolutely certain of the identity of the stones mounted in the ring, as 100% certainty would require dismounting the gemstones for an determination using a spectrometer. However we can give you an educated opinion, and are with you other possibilities. The green gemstone is almost certainly turquoise. The appearance and color is very consistent with dehydrated turquoise, as is the surface of the gemstone. Turquoise was one of the three most significant gemstones of the ancient world, together with carnelian (orange quartz) and lapis lazuli. Some of the most splendid ancient jewelry ever unearthed by archaeologists was found in Queen Pu-abi's tomb at Ur in Sumeria dating from the 3rd millennium B.C., and in the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamen's tomb. Turquoise was one of the most prominent gemstones found within these tombs, including on the famous mask of Tutankhamen. However it is possible, that the green gemstone might be a primitive ceramic precursor to glass know as “faience”, and used widely throughout the ancient world. Faience was used by the Ancient Egyptians as far back as 3000 B.C. to fashion various amulets, beads, and other items of personal adornment. Faience was produced by crushing quartz mixed with metal oxides for color (copper for blue-green, iron for red, etc.), and made into a paste. The paste was then placed in a mold, and then fired. The quartz would fuse giving the article a glossy surface, and the metal oxide would give the resulting product the desired color. The ancient Egyptians favored blue and/or green hues as it was the color of the Nile River. It’s uncommon to find such a ring with the gemstone intact, especially a faience gemstone. While a primitive form of glass might seem very ordinary and unexciting today, at the time this ring was produced glass was extremely costly, and would have cost many times more than a natural gemstone. Throughout all of ancient history into the current era, glass was very rare. The pinkish colored gemstone is most likely rose quartz. For the ancient Romans (as well as the ancient Assyrians a millennium before them) rose quartz was a traditional gift expressing love or affection. Rose Quartz gemstones and jewelry were extremely popular throughout the ancient Mediterranean, and maintained its immense popularity through Renaissance and into Victorian Europe. During the Roman Empire carnelian, closely related to rose quartz, was widely used to carve cameos and signet/intaglio rings. The Romans acquired their taste for both carnelian and rose quartz from the Phoenicians, who traded extensively in both forms of quartz. As well, rose quartz was also an important trade good in ancient India. It is possible that the rose quartz might instead be rather pale amethyst. Amethyst and rose quartz are both forms of quartz crystal, the difference being the trace mineral which provides color to the gemstone. Amethyst has historically been the most highly valued of the various forms of quartz which include rock crystal (colorless quartz), citrine (yellow quartz), carnelian (orange quartz), and aventurine (green quartz) Most ancient Mediterranean cultures, including the ancient Romans, Greeks, and Celts believed that amethyst would protect against becoming intoxicated, and would protect soldiers from harm in battle. Rose quartz and amethyst are so closely related that again, without removing the gemstone from the ring, it’s not possible to positively identify the gemstone as either rose quartz or amethyst, but the shade of color would suggest it is indeed rose quartz. However besides amethyst and rose quartz, there’s also a possibility that the gemstone is pink tinted glass. Again, glass was very expensive in the ancient world, and it was only during the Roman Empire that glass became an item of mass-production, and it was during the Roman era and afterwards that glass gemstones and glass jewelry became more common. While a glass gemstone might seem very ordinary and unexciting today, at the time this ring was produced glass was extremely costly, and would have cost many times more than a natural gemstone. Throughout all of ancient history, well into the Medieval Period, through the Renaissance, and into the Victorian Period, glass was very costly. However again, it is most likely that the second, more diminutive gemstone is rose quartz. Fate has been kind, and the ring has been preserved in wonderful condition. Of course the ring does evidence some light all-over wear. However this should not be a source for disappointment. You must keep in mind that the ring was produced by an artisan and sold to a patron or consumer with the idea that the ring would be enjoyed and worn by the purchaser. And without any regard to twenty-first century posterity, that precisely what happened! The original Roman owner of this ring wore it, enjoyed it, and probably never could have in his most delusional moment ever dreamed that almost 100 generations later the ring would still exist. It should likewise come as no surprise that upon close inspection are detected the telltale signs that the ring spent thousands of years in the soil. Porosity is fine surface pitting (oxidation, corrosion) caused by extended burial in caustic soil. Many small ancient metal artifacts such as this are extensively disfigured and suffer substantial degradation as a consequence of the ordeal of being buried for millennia. It is not at all unusual to find metal artifacts decomposed to the point where they are not much more substantial than discolored patterns in the soil. Actually most smaller ancient artifacts such as this are so badly oxidized that oftentimes all that is left is a green (bronze) or red (iron) stain in the soil, or an artifact which crumbles in your hand. However this specimen is not so afflicted, and certainly has not been disfigured. There are a couple of small chips to the metal bands. However to the cursory inspection of the casual admirer, it simply looks like an ancient ring, nicely surfaced, no immediately discernible blemishes. You have to look very closely to detect the telltale signs indicating the ring was buried for millennia. This ring spent almost 2,000 years buried, yet by good fortune there is only a very light degree of porosity evidenced. It happened to come to rest in very gentle soil conditions. Consequentially, the integrity of the artifact remains undiminished, and despite the wear, the ring remains quite handsome, and entirely wearable. As you can see, the design is simple and elegant in design, very much like contemporary “solitaire” style rings. Given the style the ring has a character which is quite modern and distinctive – a classic and timeless design. The ring has a very nice patina, a medium golden brown tone so wonderfully characteristic of ancient bronze. The ring is quite sturdy and substantial, its integrity is undiminished by the passage of time, it has been professionally conserved, and the ring is quite wearable. It is also quite rare, as rings of the era are only occasionally found with their original gemstones intact. Most often, there is only a gaping hole where a gemstone once was. And two find a two-gemstone ring with both gemstones still mounted and still intact is indeed, quite an extraordinary find. It is a very handsome artifact, eminently wearable, and a very exceptional piece of ancient jewelry. The Romans were of course very fond of ornate personal jewelry including bracelets worn both on the forearm and upper arm, brooches, pendants, hair pins, earrings intricate fibulae and belt buckles, and of course, rings. Aside from being significant to the history of ancient jewelry, it is also an evocative relic of one of the world’s greatest civilizations and than ancient world’s most significant military machine; the glory, might and light which was the “Roman Empire”. This ring could easily be worn and enjoyed on a daily basis for many, many years to come. HISTORY: Turquoise was obtained from the Sinai Peninsula before the 4th millennium B.C. in one of the world's first important hard-rock mining operations. It was transported to Europe through Turkey, probably accounting for its name, which is French for "Turkish." The sky-blue variety of turquoise, commonly referred to as robin's egg, is and historically has been the most desired variety. This variety is mined exclusively in Neyshabur, Iran. As is oftentimes seen with ancient specimens of turquoise, when exposed to sunlight or heat, this variety becomes dehydrated and turns "turquoise" green. Other less desirable deposits of turquoise are found in the Southwestern United States, the Sinai peninsula, Africa, Australia, Siberia, and Europe. The color of turquoise ranges from blue and blue-green to greenish-gray, according to the various amounts of copper usually present. Like opals, turquoise is opaque, reflecting light from small transparent layers within the stone. Turquoise sometimes is "matrixed" with varying shades of gray, brown, or black veins due to the inclusion of various oxides. In other instances, delicate veining is present, caused by impurities (often silver), and is greatly desired by many collectors. The mineral has been valued for its ornamental properties since ancient times and has been found in neckwear and bracelets recovered with a 7,500 year old Egyptian mummy. Turquoise was commonly carved into pendants and beads by the ancient Sumerians, "founders" of modern civilization, as far back as 5,000 B.C. Some of the most splendid ancient jewelry ever unearthed by archaeologists was found in Queen Pu-abi's tomb at Ur in Sumeria dating from the 3rd millennium B.C., and in the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamen's tomb. Turquoise was one of the most prominent gemstones found within these tombs, including on the famous mask of Tutankhamen. The Aztecs of Mexico also commonly used turquoise for their fine mosaic art and introduced the stone to the surrounding areas, where it became known as chalchihuitl. Turquoise was sacred to many American Indian tribes. In the ancient cultures of the Orient turquoise was thought to protect against reptile bites, poisons and eye diseases, and was thought to facilitate attunement between the physical plane and higher planes of existence. It was considered to be a protective stone, a healer of the spirit, providing soothing energy and peace of mind. On the more profane and practical side, Turquoise was also believed to bring spoils to warriors, and many kills to the hunter. Turquoise was believed to protect against falls, particularly those from horseback. Turquoise, when thrown into a river, was believed to bring rain. Aside from pearls, which were "discovered" as gemstones by prehistoric man, various forms of quartz (such as carnelian, amethyst, and rose quartz), turquoise, and lapis lazuli are the oldest gemstones utilized in the manufacture of jewelry. "Rose quartz" is the rarest of these various quartz varieties, and transparent rose quartz very rare. Since before recorded history evidence suggests that various forms of quartz (including rose quartz, amethyst, carnelian, and aventurine) were amongst the most favored gemstones for at least the past 10,000 years. The pink shades of rose quartz are due to the presence of titanium. The ancient sources for rose quartz were mines in Namibia. The ancient Assyrians and Romans were among the first to use rose quartz, carved and faceted to provide gemstones. Since those ancient times rose quartz has been a traditional gift expressing love or affection for another. Quartz crystals have always been popular in jewelry due to mystical legends concerning the "power" of quartz crystals. Besides use as gemstones and decorative accoutrements, quartz was also ground by ancient cultures to produce primitive forms of glass and ceramics. Ceramic "glass-like" (“faience) beads were produced by the ancient Egyptian, Sumerian and Babylonian cultures (as described above). Quartz crystal exhibits a property called the piezoelectric effect; it produces an electric voltage. This was noticed by ancient cultures, and consequentially since ancient times many mystical properties have been attributed to quartz crystals. In Medieval Europe, quartz was believed to act as a psychic purifier. It was believed to tune into the "vibrational level" of an individual and assist in "tuning" into oneself, "tune out" the distractions of the outside world, and aid in meditation. It was believed that clear crystals possessed the ability to amplify emotions, and enhance healing, concentration, and intuition. Crystals were believed to enhance energy levels, and to neutralize "negative energies". Even today many people still believe that wearing quartz crystals benefits a person's health and spiritual well being. Amethyst was one of the first gemstones used by man. The name is derived from the Greek term "amethustos", meaning not drunk. Amethyst came to Greece from Egypt just after the death of Alexander the Great. Most ancient Mediterranean cultures believed that amethyst would protect against becoming intoxicated, and would protect soldiers from harm in battle. Throughout ancient and medieval history, the color purple was traditionally the color of royalty. Consequentially Amethyst has been used since the dawn of recorded history to adorn the wealthy, as well as royalty, and was extensively used since ancient times for carving intaglio gemstones and seals. Amethyst is also mentioned in the Bible (Exodus 28:19; 39:12) as one of the 12 stones adorning the breastplate (hoshen) of the high priests of Yahweh. The Romans were the first to mass produce glass articles, and this included glass jewelry and gemstones. The Romans and their successors in the East, the Byzantines (and Eastern Europe in general), were very fond of elaborate jewelry and other personal adornments. Typical jewelry included bracelets worn both on the forearm as well as upper arm, rings, earrings, and pendants. In the ancient world, glass was enormously costly jewelry, not only for the Romans of the first century, but going back 3,000 years old to ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Sumeria. Though glass jewelry, especially gemstones, have been fashioned for over 3,000 years, very little is known about the production of glass in the ancient world. The ancient Egyptians fashioned amulets, beads, and small vessels out of a material known as faience, an ancient precursor of glass created by crushing quartz sand and mixing it with an alkali binder and mineral oxides to provide color. Written records from ancient Mesopotamia refer to the manufacture of glass, describing the manufacturing process as difficult and secret. Ancient lumps of glass have been discovered in the area and dated as far back as 4,000 B.C. Around 1,500 B.C. two new production techniques gave rise to more frequent manufacture of glass in Egypt and Mesopotamia. Both techniques involved the use of molten glass rods, either wrapped around a mud core, or placed within a mold. However the end product was nonetheless frightfully expensive, and the process lengthy. Finally around the 1st century B.C. glass blowing techniques were developed, wherein a blob of molten glass was inflated either free form or into a mold by blowing through a hollow metal blowpipe. Glass blowing became widespread during the later Roman Empire, and the inexpensive process created huge demand for glass products, including jewelry. Syria became the "glass factory" of the Roman Empire and glassware came to be widely disseminated throughout the Roman Empire. Glass remained expensive through the 17th century, and glass gemstones though less expensive than natural gemstones, were still expensive. The “gemstones” in “costume” jewelry were generally made from colored amber. Short of genuine precious and semi-precious gemstones, glass “gemstones” were still the domain of more costly pieces. Bronze is the name given to a wide range of alloys of copper, typically mixed in ancient times with zinc or tin. The Bronze Age followed the Neolithic, and as the name implies, saw the production of bronze tools, weapons and armor which were either hard or more durable than their stone predecessors. Traditionally archaeology has maintained that the earlier bronze was produced by the Maikop, a proto-Indo-European, proto-Celtic culture of Caucasus prehistory around 3500 B.C. Recent evidence however suggests that the smelting of bronze might be as much as several thousand years older. Shortly after the emergence of bronze technology in the Caucasus region, bronze technology emerged in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Levant (Eastern Mediterranean), Anatolia (Turkey) and the Iranian Plateau. By the late fourth to early third millennium B.C. many Bronze Age Cultures had emerged. Some of the more notable were the Celtic cultures of Middle Europe stretching from Hungary to Poland and Germany, including the Urnfield, Lusatian, and (Iron Age Transitional) Hallstatt Cultures. The Shang in ancient China also developed a significant Bronze Age culture, noted for large bronze burial urns. Britain’s Bronze Age cultures included the Beaker, Wessex, Deverl, and Rimbury. Cornwall was the principle source of tin not only for Britain but exported throughout the Mediterranean, and copper was produced from the Great Orme mine in North Wales. Though much of the raw minerals may have come from Britain (and to a lesser extent Spain), it was the Aegean world which controlled the trade in bronze. The great seafaring Minoan Empire appears to have controlled, coordinated, and defended the Bronze Age trade. Tin and charcoal were imported into Cyprus, where locally mined copper was mined and alloyed with the tin from Britain. It appears that the Bronze Age collapsed with the Minoan Empire, to be replaced by a Dark Age and the eventual rise of the Iron Age Myceneans. Evidence suggests that the precipitating event might have been the eruption of Thera and the ensuing tsunami, which was only about 40 miles north of Crete, the capital of the Minoan Empire. It is known that the bread-basket of the Minoan empire, the area north of the Black Sea lost population, and thereafter many Minoan colony/client-states lost large populations to extreme famines or pestilence. Thus with the end to the shipping of tin throughout the Mediterranean the Bronze Age trade network is believed to have failed, and the end of the Bronze Age and the rise of the Iron age is normally associated with the disturbances created by large population movements in the 12th century B.C. The end of the Bronze Age saw the emergency of new technologies and civilizations which heralded the new Iron Age. Although iron was in many respects much inferior to bronze (steel was still thousands of years away), iron had the advantage that it could be produced using local resources during the dark ages that followed the Minoan collapse. Bronze also resists corrosion and metal fatigue better than iron. Bronze was still used during the Iron Age, but for many purposes the weaker iron was sufficiently strong to serve in its place. As an example, Roman officers were equipped with bronze swords while foot soldiers had to make do with iron blades. One of the greatest civilizations of recorded history was the ancient Roman Empire. In exchange for a very modest amount of contemporary currency, you can possess a small part of that great civilization in the form of a 2,000 year old piece of jewelry. The Roman civilization, in relative terms the greatest military power in the history of the world, was founded in the 8th century (B.C.). By the 4th Century (B.C.) the Romans were the dominant power on the Italian Peninsula, having defeated the Etruscans and Celts. In the 3rd Century (B.C.) the Romans conquered Sicily, and in the following century defeated Carthage, and controlled the Greece. Throughout the remainder of the 2nd Century (B.C.) the Roman Empire continued its gradual conquest of the Hellenistic (Greek Colonial) World by conquering Syria and Macedonia; and finally came to control Egypt in the 1st Century (B.C.). The pinnacle of Roman power was achieved in the 1st Century (A.D.) as Rome conquered much of Britain and Western Europe. For a brief time, the era of “Pax Romana”, a time of peace and consolidation reigned. Civilian emperors were the rule, and the culture flourished with a great deal of liberty enjoyed by the average Roman Citizen. However within 200 years the Roman Empire was in a state of steady decay, attacked by Germans, Goths, and Persians. In the 4th Century (A.D.) the Roman Empire was split between East and West. The Great Emperor Constantine temporarily arrested the decay of the Empire, but within a hundred years after his death the Persians captured Mesopotamia, Vandals infiltrated Gaul and Spain, and the Goths even sacked Rome itself. Most historians date the end of the Western Roman Empire to 476 (A.D.) when Emperor Romulus Augustus was deposed. However the Eastern Roman Empire (The Byzantine Empire) survived until the fall of Constantinople in 1453 A.D. At its peak, the Roman Empire stretched from Britain in the West, throughout most of Western, Central, and Eastern Europe, and into Asia Minor. Valuables such as coins and jewelry were commonly buried for safekeeping, and inevitably these ancient citizens would succumb to one of the many perils of the ancient world. Oftentimes the survivors of these individuals did not know where the valuables had been buried, and today, two thousands years later caches of coins and rings are still commonly uncovered throughout Europe and Asia Minor. Roman Soldiers oftentimes came to possess large quantities of “booty” from their plunderous conquests, and routinely buried their treasure for safekeeping before they went into battle. If they met their end in battle, most often the whereabouts of their treasure was likewise, unknown. Throughout history these treasures have been inadvertently discovered by farmers in their fields, uncovered by erosion, and the target of unsystematic searches by treasure seekers. With the introduction of metal detectors and other modern technologies to Eastern Europe in the past three or four decades, an amazing number of new finds are seeing the light of day 2,000 years or more after they were originally hidden by their past owners. And with the liberalization of post-Soviet Eastern Europe, new markets have opened eager to share in these treasures of the Roman Empire. Domestic shipping is $3.99 for first class mail or $6.99 for Priority Mail. Domestic rates include USPS Delivery Confirmation (you might be able to update the status of your shipment on-line at the USPS Web Site). Canadian shipments are $3.99 for Air Mail; International shipments are $4.99 for Air Mail (and generally are NOT tracked; trackable shipments are EXTRA). I can add most other items I sell to the shipment for only $0.99 each. Your purchase will ordinarily be shipped within 48 hours of payment. We package as well as anyone in the business, with lots of protective padding and containers. Insurance is available for both domestic and international shipments ($10 for domestic shipments; $24 for international shipments; ONLY required when PayPal is used – you may deduct this amount if you prefer an uninsured shipment AND you pay by check or money order or EU transfer). We do NOT recommend uninsured shipments, and expressly disclaim any responsibility for the loss of an uninsured shipment. Unfortunately the contents of parcels are easily “lost” or misdelivered by postal employees – even in the USA. If you intend to pay via PayPal, please be aware that PayPal Protection Policies REQUIRE insured, trackable shipments. If you do NOT want an insured shipment, send us a check or money order or EU transfer and deduct the invoiced insurance premium. We do offer U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail, Registered Mail, and Express Mail for both international and domestic shipments, as well United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express (Fed-Ex). Please ask for a rate quotation. I prefer your personal check or money order over any other form of payment – and I will ship immediately upon receipt of your check (no “holds”). If upon receipt of the item you are disappointed for any reason whatever, I offer a no questions asked return policy. Send it back, I will give you a complete refund of the purchase price. Most of the items I offer come from the collection of a family friend who was active in the field of Archaeology for over forty years. However many of the items also come from purchases I make in Eastern Europe, India, and from the Levant (Eastern Mediterranean/Near East) from various institutions and dealers. Though I have always had an interest in archaeology, my own academic background was in sociology and cultural anthropology. After my retirement however, I found myself drawn to archaeology as well. Aside from my own personal collection, I have made extensive and frequent additions of my own via purchases on Ebay (of course), as well as many purchases from both dealers and institutions throughout the world – but especially in the Near East and in Eastern Europe. I spend over half of my year out of the United States, and have spent much of my life either in India or Eastern Europe. In fact much of what we generate on Yahoo, Amazon and Ebay goes to support The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, as well as some other worthy institutions in Europe connected with Anthropology and Archaeology. I acquire some small but interesting collections overseas from time-to-time, and have as well some duplicate items within my own collection which I occasionally decide to part with. Though I have a collection of ancient coins numbering in the tens of thousands, my primary interest is in ancient jewelry. My wife also is an active participant in the “business” of antique and ancient jewelry, and is from Russia. I would be happy to provide you with a certificate/guarantee of authenticity for any item you purchase from me. There is a $2 fee for mailing under separate cover. Whenever I am overseas I have made arrangements for purchases to be shipped out via domestic mail. If I am in the field, you may have to wait for a week or two for a COA to arrive via international air mail. But you can be sure your purchase will arrive properly packaged and promptly – even if I am absent. And when I am in a remote field location with merely a notebook computer, at times I am not able to access my email for a day or two, so be patient, I will always respond to every email. Please see our "ADDITIONAL TERMS OF SALE." Place a Bid!