Metal: 22K Gold

Stone: Emerald Glass, natural Ruby, one pink Spinel.

Size: 4

Era: 1590 - 1620

What You Should Know: Light abrasions to stones.

*This ring is resizable, but we do not suggest resizing as it is a museum quality piece.

During the 16th century, there was a French historian named Brantome. Brantome wrote extensively about the many incredible green emeralds that the conquistador, Cortez, had brought back to Spain from Latin America. He admired him for obtaining such impressive gems, but Brantome did have one major qualm with Cortez. Cortez had procured one especially large and striking emerald and then engraved it with the biblical phrase, “Among those born of women there hath not arisen a greater.” Brantome was appalled that someone would deface such a rare emerald, and considered it sacrilege in and of itself. He wrote that doing such a thing was the cause for great grief and tragedy, including King Charles IX’s death.

Around the same time that Brantome was chastising Cortez for blemishing an emerald of such importance, a jeweler was fashioning this incredible emerald and ruby ring. With a new source of emeralds in South America, members of high society were eager to get their hands on emerald jewelry. It was a sign of dignity and wealth to be seen wearing the green gem, and one surrounded by equally beautiful red rubies and spinels would have been a status symbol.