355 (20)

Dress Accessońes

328

216 Finger rings with glass settings, except nos. 1616,1617,1619 & 1621 where the glass or stone are missing (1:1)

circumference, perhaps representing an adjust-ment madę to fit the finger of an individual wearer, which was an important consideration, especially as many gold finger rings set with gems were beąueathed to persons of a different sex. The unfussy style of the ring with its wire hoop, cup-shaped bezel and gemstone cabochon was evidently popular and comparable finger rings in the Waterton collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum include one set with a sapphire and another with an emerald (Oman 1930A, 67 nos. 254-255, pl XI).

Another of the gold rings has a rectangular, two-piece bezel (no. 1612, fig 215). The collet is

set with an almandine gamet. Both the hoop and bezel are similar in composition, being c.45% gold debased with roughly equal amounts of copper and silver.

A third gold finger ring is also set with an almandine gamet and the oval bezel matches the oval outline of the cabochon (no. 1613, fig 215). The hoop, which differs from the others de-scribed here in having a lozenge-shaped section, was soldered to the bezel on each side; it evident-ly got broken subseąuently and was mended with a soft lead/tin solder, indicating that it was not taken to a goldsmith for repair. Like the ring previously described, the hoop and bezel were