Stuart Crystal Cipher & Granulation Ring

The term “Stuart crystal” refers to jewelry made in the decades following the execution of King Charles I in 1649, when loyalists to the Stuart monarchy memorialized the martyred king through jewelry. Flat-topped rock crystal was used to protect and display intimate elements beneath it: gold wire ciphers, initials, or locks of hair. While early examples were explicitly political, the form quickly evolved. By the late 17th and early 18th centuries, Stuart crystal jewels like this ring had become more private in meaning, commemorating individual relationship. Here, a delicately worked gold cipher and hairwork sit beneath rock crystal, framed by fine granulation that shows off a talented goldsmith's skills.  Stuart crystal rings are uncommon to begin with, and examples that retain their original crystal, hairwork, and fine gold details in this level of condition are particularly scarce.   : 22k gold (tests), rock crystal, hair, gold thread AGE: c. 1700 CONDITION: Excellent SIZE: 8, can be