Posted 8 years ago
DualityMan
(1 item)
This was my wife's grandfathers ring. He lived from the 1913 - 1965. There are no indentifiers on the band or backside of the ring. I believe it's made of gold with an onyx stone. I'd appreciate any information on ring. I think it was a fairly common ring for men in the early to mid 20th century.
Thanks for the help!
It's an onyx cameo ring. Here is one that is nearly the same:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/UNIQUE-MENS-ROMAN-WARRIOR-W-HELMETS-ONYX-CAMEO-RING-IN-14KT-YELLOW-ROSE-GOLD-/131587694603?hash=item1ea33ce00b:m:mXyDofioXPsLoSdq-JnlzhA
Have been poking around on CW tonight, avoiding what I should be doing, seemingly following around after kyratango & Efesgirl, agreeing with their comments.
Think this is a rare case where I disagree with Efesgirl. The stone is certainly meant to look like black onyx if it isn't. What I think I see in the photos is that the crest of the helmet extends past the squared off edge & the finish of the depressed surfaces looks satin/matte, unlike the shiny finish of the table? My eyes often play tricks when it comes to interpreting photos, so if I'm wrong about these things ignore me. If I am correct, the likelihood as that the intaglio is molded glass. Both are features not uncommon in molded glass intaglios but not seen in hand engraved gems.
It is still quite a nice ring, solidly made & the mold for the intaglio was well modeled. The technical term for compositions like this, with one profile overlapping another is 'jugate'. What is nice about this one, compared to the average, is that the female figure is not just some indistinct, nearly featureless generic female, she is just as detailed as the hero in front of her. What is odd about her, unless my eyes are cheating me again, is that she appears to be the goddess Demeter/Ceres, with her signature (stylized) grain stalks wreathing her head. This may help you decide about that:
http://cameotimes.com/index.php/profiles-1/olympian-gods/ceres-demeter
There is nothing about the male figure to identify him as a specific figure, however, the Greeks won that war, not the Trojans, & to the victors belong the cameos.
You are correct that rings of this general type used to be standard gent's jewelry & this one probably dates to the lifetime of your grandfather-in-law, not before. It is really a very nice ring, even if it is not black onyx. A good quality glass intaglio has more value than a shoddily engraved stone one. :)