DATE: Victorian, c.1870

Cool Victorian signet ring with a winged dragon intaglio carved into the shield-shaped sardonyx head. The carver has made clever use of the two colour bands present in the stone, the mythical beast rendered in red, and the white section giving the illusion of bat-like wing translucency and creating strong contrast between the subject and background. It's mounted in silver with rope-twist border around the head and elegant split shoulders leading to a tapered band. 

STONES

Sardonyx

MEASUREMENTS

Head: 12.8 x 12.0mm

Width of band: 2.1mm

WEIGHT

3.3g

MARKS

No marks present, tests as silver

CONDITION

Good, some light/general wear commensurate with age. Possible evidence of an old repair to the left hand side of the head