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Description
I have a ring given to my husband by his parents (they are now deceased) in the early 60's that they got when they lived in Tunisia. They told us it was a roman signet ring and that's all we know. It is set in gold and I'm guessing the carving (a winged animal) in the stone is carneliun. I would love to find out more about it to see if it is a genuine antiquities piece, but I don't know where to go to find out. I would appreciate any feedback i could get.
Category
Jewelry and Gemstones
Medium
Gold and the stone may be Carnelian
Distinguishing marks
Signet is a winged animal
Condition
Excellent
Size and dimensions of this item
face 1/2 "x 1/2"L
Date Period
Possible 2nd-3rd century
Weight
5 grams
History
Purchased in Tunisia near Roman ruins in early 60's.
Price
make offer
Price Paid (If known)
unknown
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Re: Roman signet ring
What you have may be more interesting than you realize. If I have this correctly.
There is no stone, I believe it is clay.
Most images are either flat or stick out.
But the image here sinks in.
This kind of ring was used by those in power. The image marks a specific person of power. See, they would take hot wax and drip it onto a letter, then push the ring into the wax to mark it with their seal. The indentations would of course reverse themself on the wax.
Look online for Roman signet rings and you'll see what I mean.
You also may want to do research on the city where the ruins are and find out what Roman city was once there. Should be able to find out who in that city had power enough to require a signet ring.