Mastery of Design: A Man’s Red Spinel and Diamond Ring, 1450

Ring
Gold, Spinel and Diamond
England, 1450
The Victoria & Albert Museum

At five hundred sixty-one years old, I’d say this ring has held up rather niceley. The broad, chanelled band on the ring suggests that it was created to be worn on a man’s thumb.

What’s most fascinating about this ancient piece of jewelry from England is the early use of brightly colored stones to contrast against gold and diamond. Originally thought to be rubies, the two pale red stones set in this ring are known as 'balas' or spinels, and are thought to have come from Afghanistan.

The diamond is the perfect example of oen of the earliest known cuts. It is, in fact, half of a natural diamond crystal. This early “cut” is sometimes called a 'point-cut' diamond for obvious reasons.