This beautiful layered stone takes its name - agate - from the Achatus river in Sicily, where sizable deposits of the stone were discovered as early as 300BC. Banded agate (also known as onyx) is the stone most often used in carving cameos and intaglios, cutting them en cabochon or fashioning round beads with a single stripe came into vogue in the mid 19th century. This c. 1870 signet ring is modeled in gold with dramatic scrolled shoulders and a deep brown and white banded agate. To the New Age school of thinking, agate of this particular hue is believed to bring victory in conflict and elevate one’s intelligence.
MATERIALS: 14k gold (tests), 12mm x 10.5mm oval slab banded agate
AGE: c. 1870
CONDITION: Very good - mark on the shank from a previous resizing
SIZE: 6.25, can be resized; 14.3mm head, 3.3mm shank