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Gemstone Ring

12th–13th century
Not on view
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.
The maker of this ring went to great lengths to showcase the large, aquamarine gem. The bezel projects boldly upward to highlight the icy color of the stone, which is cushion cut, a technique with roots in the Roman world. The pronged setting, which holds the stone in place, was widely used between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries, but eventually dropped out of fashion. The gadrooned sides of the bezel have been worked with granulated gold, a technique used through the early medieval period, but which was lost in the later Middle Ages.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Gemstone Ring
  • Date: 12th–13th century
  • Geography: Made in Constantinople
  • Culture: Byzantine
  • Medium: Gold, aquamarine, pearl
  • Dimensions: Height 39.5 mm.; hoop inner diam. 19.5 mm.; hoop outer diam. 26 mm.; bezel 23.5 x 19 mm.; weight 39.5 gr.
  • Classification: Metalwork-Gold
  • Credit Line: Griffin Collection
  • Object Number: L.2015.72.4
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters