Ancient Egyptian Ring with a Carnelian Scarab Set in Electrum, New Kingdom (c. 1539–1069 B.C.)

Walk Like an Egyptian

Ancient Egyptian Ring with a Carnelian Scarab Set in Electrum, New Kingdom (c. 1539–1069 B.C.)

€ 3,290.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Description

This description was automatically translated from German. If you have any questions about this piece of jewellery, we will be happy to help!

Hardly any symbol is as closely associated with Ancient Egypt as the scarab. It was modeled after the dung beetle, whose offspring—seemingly emerging from nowhere—and whose rolling of dung balls were linked to notions of creation, renewal, and the daily course of the sun. In the form of the god Khepri, the scarab particularly embodied the rising sun and its daily rebirth. This ring from ancient Egypt features a carnelian scarab. Its design is as simple as it is striking. A gold wire loop, thickened at the bottom, is threaded through the stone and simultaneously forms the ring band. Both ends are wrapped several times around the opposite wire on either side of the scarab. In this way, the stone is held in place without an additional setting or soldering and remains movable at the same time: By rotating the ring, the engraved underside could be revealed and, if necessary, used as a seal. The composition of the metal is noteworthy. Our X-ray fluorescence analysis revealed 63.7% gold, 34.6% silver, and 1.7% copper. This means it is not gold in the sense of a modern jewelry alloy standardized to a specific fineness, but rather elektron, a gold-silver alloy with a high silver content. Such alloys are characteristic of ancient Egyptian gold jewelry. Throughout much of Egyptian history, the gold used was not refined using modern methods and could therefore contain varying amounts of silver. Scientifically analyzed Egyptian pieces of jewellery show silver content of over 30 percent and, in isolated cases, even over 50 percent. The composition of our ring is thus consistent with ancient Egyptian electrum. The shape and construction also suggest a tentative dating to the New Kingdom (c. 1539–1069 BCE). A ring in the Louvre (Inv. No. E 27170) offers a particularly good comparison. There, too, a carnelian scarab sits on a gold ring with rolled ends. The Louvre itself dates the piece, with some reservation, to the New Kingdom. Our ring is very good in condition and came to us from the Hamburg art trade.

Size & Details

Walk Like an Egyptian

€ 3,290.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Our Promise

We want you to be 100% satisfied! For that reason, we examine, describe and photograph all of our jewellery with the utmost care.

You can rely on our years of experience in the trade and our expertise as a professional art historians for reviews of the antique jewellery. As a member of various trade organisations and the British Society of Jewellery Historians, we remain committed to the highest possible degree of accuracy. In our descriptions, we always also indicate any signs of age and defects and never hide them in our photos – this saves you from any unpleasant surprises when your package arrives.

Should you for some reason not be satisfied, please don’t hesitate to contact us so that we can find a solution together. In any case, you can return any article within one month and we will refund the full purchase price.

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