This incredible and very rare memento mori ring was made during the early years of the reign of King George I. This style of mourning ring is known as a skeletal and is made in 18k gold and detailed in black enamel. The hoop features an articulated skeleton, a crossed shovel and scythe, and a tempus fugit (represented as an hour glass) to signify that time is fleeting. The face of the ring is set with a rose cut rock crystal within an oval collet. Beneath the crystal is a faded, but visible, skull and crossbones rendered in white enamel, and the gold wire cipher "RF". This wonderful ring was made in memory of Richard Fountaine, who made his fortune in the mid to late 17th century as a timber merchant. As luck or misfortune would have it, Fountaine was in the right business at the right time to amass great riches. He built his wealth by supplying boards to build the coffins required during the Black Death in which 15% of London's population perished. He was busy in business yet again a year later supplying lumber to rebuild the city after the Great Fire of 1666. Fountaine served as an Alderman of the City of London, and upon his death he bequeathed a great sum of money to build Fountaine's Hospital in Linton (more like a halfway house or shelter in today's language) to house and benefit the poor. The facility is still in operation today in service of the community and in accordance with the terms Fountaine set forth in his will. The interior of the band is engraved "Rich Fountaine Esq 26 Jan 1721 aet 85". This ring is a US 7.5 and cannot be resized.
thedetails
- Materials
18k yellow gold, enamel, rock crystal
- Age
c. 1721
- Condition
Very good - enamel is worn but present; skull and cipher are somewhat faded but still clear
- Size
US 7.5, this ring cannot be resized
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Aboutthe
GeorgianEra
1714 — 1837
As imperialist war raged in the Americas, Caribbean, Australia, and beyond, the jewelry industry benefited: colored gems from all over the empire became newly available. A mix of artistic influences from around Europe contributed to the feminine, glittering jewels of the era. Dense, ornate Baroque motifs from Italy showed up in Georgian jewelry, as did French Rococo’s undulating flora and fauna. Neoclassical style made use of Greek and Roman motifs, which were newly popular due to the recently uncovered ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Lapidary methods improved: the dome-shaped rose cut was popular, as was the “old mine cut,” a very early iteration of today’s round brilliant cut.
The boat-shaped marquise diamond cut was developed around this time, supposedly to imitate the smile of Louis XV’s mistress, the marquise de Pompadour. Paste — an imitation gemstone made from leaded glass — was newly developed in the 18th century, and set into jewelry with the same creativity and care as its more precious counterparts. Real and imitation gems were almost always set in closed-backed settings, lined on the underside with thin sheets of foil to enhance the color of the stone and highlight it's sparkle. This makes Georgian rings tough for modern women to wear, especially on an everyday basis: genteel, jewelry-owning ladies of the 18th century were not famous for working with their hands like we are. Nor did they wash their hands as much as we do. Water will virtually ruin a foiled setting, so take special care with your Georgian ring. Very little jewelry from this period is still in circulation, and it's very difficult to repair.