354 (22)

327

FingerRings

One of the jewels of St Alban’s Abbey described and illustrated by the 13th-century chronicler, Matthew Paris, was a gold ring of this type set with a sapphire, which had reputedly belonged to Eleanor of Aąuitaine. The same ring was apparently wom by Richard, nicknamed the ‘Animal’, a childhood friend of the Queen, who had his initials inscribed in niello on the bezel before he gave it to the Abbey (Oman 1930B, 81; Stratford 1984, 291-2, no. 318). Such finger rings are, however, morę commonly associated with men and the large size of the pewter ring described here suggests that it was probably in-tended for a man. Although this form of finger ring appears to have been long-lived, it may be doubted whether it remained fashionable after the first half of the 13th century.

Decorative rings with rounded hoops set with gemstones or glass imitations

Other finger rings set with gemstones, both genuine and simulated, comprise five gold rings, three of brass, two of bronze, one of copper and one of gunmetal. An example in lead (fig 216, no. 1621) stands out from the rest of the group; its crude form and hollowed out bezel, which shows no tracę of having held a stone, suggest that it could have served either as a jewellery-worker’s trial-piece or a model from which a mould for casting a number of saleable finger rings was created.

Gold

1610    TL74 acc. no. 605 (context 429) ceramic phase 10-11 fig 215 & colour pl 2

Gold (AML); fine wire hoop with soldered lap joint; hoop soldered to bezel with a silver solder (AML); circular, cup-shaped bezel set with a pale almandine gamet cabochon (MH); extemal d 18mm; intemal d 17mm; d of bezel 3mm.

1611    BC72 2035 (79) 11 fig 215

Gold (AML); fine wire hoop; bezel set with two cabochons, one a green emerald (MH) and the other missing leaving traces of a cement visible; extemal d 18.5mm; intemal d 17; 1 of bezel 4mm.

1612    TL74 2263 (1717) 11 fig 215 & colour pl 2

Gold (AML); slender hoop soldered to bezel; trans-verse rectangular bezel, with pie-dish profile, set with a rectangular almandine gamet cabochon (MH); exter-nal d 18.5mm; intemal d 17mm; 1 of bezel 7mm.

1613 TL74 2266 (2656) 11 fig 215 & colour pl 2

Gold (AML); slender hoop, lozenge-shaped in section; one shoulder repaired in antiquity with a lead/tin solder (MOL); transverse oval bezel, with pie-dish profile, set with an almandine gamet cabochon (MH); extemal d 18mm; intemal d 17; 1 of bezel 9.5mm.

1614 BWB83 140 (292) 11 fig 215

Gold (AML); slender hoop with moulded shoulders; transverse oval bezel, with pie-dish profile, set with a sapphire cabochon (RRH); extemal d 20mm; intemal d 18mm; 1 of bezel, 8mm.

The five gold finger rings were recovered from deposits dating to the second half of the 14th century (ceramic phases 10-11 and 11), which is perhaps an indication of increasing prosperity within London. These are the only accessories of gold among the assemblages considered in this volume; the great symbolic importance attributed to the incorruptible metal for ties of marriage, affection, and positions of trust, meant that if a person owned only one object of gold, it would probably have been a finger ring. Four of the rings are complete and were presumably accidentally lost by their owners; one of these underwent repair in antiąuity and its hoop has (sińce excavation) again become detached from the bezel on one side. The fifth, which originally had two gemstones, is now missing a stone. The settings of four of these finger rings consist of a smali cabochon gemstone but they differ slightly from one another. Quantitative analysis reveals that the rings also vary in their gold content, which rangę from 44%-45% at the lowest (nos. 1612 & 1611) to 75% (ie 18 carat gold) at the highest (no. 1610), and in the proportions of silver and copper used to debase the gold, see table 8 (p 390).

The smallest gold ring is composed of four elements; a fine, wire hoop, a smali cup-shaped bezel consisting of a separate base and collet, and a tiny, pale almandine gamet cabochon (no. 1610, fig 215). The hoop has a higher gold content c.75% than the two-part bezel, which is c.55%-60% gold, debased with approximately equal amounts of copper and silver. To attach the hoop to each side of the bezel a silver solder was used. The hoop also has a join at one point on the