Rings Of Antiquity At Les Enluminures

Late Renaissance Diamond Ring, Gold, Western Europe, circa 1600-1620 “The earliest examples of ... [+] diamonds being given as engagement rings go back to the fifteenth century as a sign of constancy and virtue in marriage. To this day, diamonds are associated with eternal love.”

One of my favorite things to do is scroll through Les Enluminure’s website and be swept away by the company’s new jewelry acquisitions, exhibitions and accompanying catalogs which have featured some of the most compelling medieval, Renaissance, Byzantine, Gothic and revival jewels in themed displays such as “Rings Around The World” and Take This Ring: Medieval and Renaissance Rings from the Griffin Collection—both past exhibitions and fully illustrated, well written historic catalogs. There are many more, and if you missed the event, you can find the books still in print on the website.

Founded by Sandra Hindman in 1991, the company has offices/exhibition and sales spaces in Paris, Chicago and New York City. My recent scroll led me to five new ring acquisitions, each a rare representation of a different time and the symbolism that reflected the small wearable works of art. If you are like me and are drawn to rings of antiquity and the story behind them, linger here for a while, where I have featured all five rings and extracted their meanings from Hindman and her descriptions and the significant role they played in the period in which they were made.

Renaissance Ring with Hessonite Garnet, West European, circa 1620-60

“The garnet's reddish-orange color resembles a ruby's red hues. For centuries, their red color was linked to the heart and featured in jewelry like betrothal and wedding rings as symbols of affection, passion and love.”

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Fede Ring, Gold, Western Europe, circa 16th-17th century.

“The symbolism of the joined right hands dates back to Roman antiquity and was then known as “dextrarum iunctio.” In Roman times, joining the right hands by a betrothed couple was a sign of loyalty and marked the conclusion of a marriage contract.”

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Posy Ring: with the inscription: “A knote knit in love”, England, late 17th century

“The “knot” in this prose alluded to the true lover’s knot and symbolizes the inextricable link and eternal bond between two loved ones, suggesting it was given as a wedding ring.”

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Neo-Gothic Ring with Inscription, Gold. Probably France, 19th century

“A charming revival ring with Gothic lettering reminiscent of medieval manuscripts and jewelry. The gold band features a frieze-like inscription in relief The polished, black Gothic style lettering in French reads ‘ma foy ains ne finira’ (my faith never ends) against a matt background that commences with a four-petal rosette.”

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