Northern Europe, Viking, ca. 10th to 11th century CE. A magnificent Viking ring comprised of 98.3% gold (equivalent to 23K+ gold) with an ample, finely decorated shank that is meticulously covered with granulated bands surrounded by rope-like filigree borders - each one set perpendicularly to the next, resulting in a mesmerizingly beautiful pattern. Finally, the entire composition that adorns the band is framed by an upper and lower rope-patterned border. A striking example, replete with impressive workmanship and artistry. Size: .75" Diameter (1.9 cm); US ring size 8.5; quality of gold: 98.3% (equivalent to 23K+); total weight: 7 grams
Many Vikings did not have a standard minted currency available to them; instead they kept their wealth in the form of jewelry made from precious metals. Scholars believe that a popular practice was to amass a hoard of these objects and then deposit them, often in water sources like rivers. Gold rings - like all gold objects - were apparently quite rare, only found in graves of the highest status. In pagan Viking culture, so roughly before the turn of the millennium, gold rings were used to swear oaths on and as markers of the godi, members of the Thing (governing assembly); some scholars have speculated that their deposition in hoards was an attempt to save them from violation with the coming sweep of Christianity.
Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-private Kaliningrad (Koenigsberg) and then Latvia collection; found on the Baltic Sea coast prior to 1982
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#161887
Condition
Wearable with a warm patina. Slight bending and indentations, otherwise excellent condition.