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Description: | A copper alloy finger ring of possible Early Medieval date. The ring has a very large circular bezel; really a disc set on a hoop. The hoop is made from three strands of twisted wire, each strand being rectangular in section. The ends are flattened and attached to the back of the disc. The disc is 27.2mm in diameter. It seems to be made from a flat sheet of copper alloy forming a back plate, with crude filigree and beading applied to the front. The whole of the disc is covered with concentric rings (or a spiral) of beaded wire. A tiny section is missing revealing the backplate. Round the edge is a border or much bigger beading, possible individual globules of metal applied to the edge of the disc. Similar pellets also form a circles in the middle, linked to the border by six radiating spokes. There is a single pellet in the centre.There is no other ring like this on the PAS database. The twisted hoop and use of imitation filigree and granulation is similar to Early Medieval gold finger rings such as the large ring in the West Yorkshire Saxon gold hoard (2008 T553 or SWYOR-F86A02) and examples shown in plate 10 of Oman's British Rings (1974). A 9th or 10th century date is suggested. However, it is unusual in being made from copper alloy, and is much cruder than the gold examples. For this reason, it is not possible to rule out a Post Medieval date.The ring has a dark green patina with small areas of lighter coloured corrosion. The hoop is set at an angle to the back of the disc. The hoop has an internal diameter of 18mm. The reverse of the disc backplate is lumpy and uneven.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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