The Washington herald., 1912-08-18

teenth century jewelry'' seem 10 bring
oeiore our eyes a hideous vision oS
har bracelets. slabs of moss agate in
coarse settings. and heavy gold chains
almost massive enough to restrain an
unIuiy elephant. Such things certainly
- very large part of the ornaments
which appealed TO Victorian taste b,,t
also We find other classes of worL u,bjch
Mnie II never reaches a very high stand
ara yet has merits of its own.
Ring Is Ancient
The ring. Mr.. Percival points ou, 10
not only one of the most ancient Of nor
sonal ornaments. but also at various
times 1t has been endowed with all Lira,
or mystical and emblematic qualities 7,
has been associated with religion w,,b
law. with love, with death: in one form,
UT announcer IN fact. II seems to be bound
up with most of the phases of life II
mas not always been worn in the same
way. some OF the ancient nations the
Egyptians. Phoenicians. and RabyIoniaps
wore II on the third finger of the right
mana; IL was also sometimes carried on
a string worn around the neck. so that
II hung down on their chests
Inc Greeks and Romans wore n on
the LETT hand. and they generally used a
ring which also served as a sirnet: the
bezel often consisted of an engraved
gem. But all these ancient peoples fire.
quentlS wore several examples; sometimes
every finger was adorned with one or
more. Under the Roman Empire the ex-
travagance in wearing rings verged on
the ludicrous. Men and women wore
them on all fingers of both hands except
the middle finger, and further wore them
on nearly every joint. There were light
rings Tor summer and heavy rings for
winter. In fact, there was no end to the
foolishness displayed.
Few AngIo-Saxon Rinrs.
Helogabalus never wore the same set
twice. There are very few Anglo-Saxon
rings surviving, one Of Il most note
worthy being the ring of Ethelwulf. 1t
is made of gold with nIeiio ornamental
ton, and is a beautiful specimen of
workmanship OF that period. This is an
example of the extraordinary way in
which beautiful things may come to
light after being hidden for many years.
1t was discovered in the rut of a car
track, or rather in the wet mud squeez-
ed out by the passage of the vehicle
1t was sold by the laborer who found.
it for the value of the gold to a Jewell
er, and after various vicissitudes was
purchased by the British Museum.
During the Middle Ages rings were
made in very high bezel. the sides
often ornamented with fine filigree work
and enamels. and a small stone set in
the top. These rings are the most COM
mon objects of jewelry to have survived
from medieval times, and almost the
only pieces of what one may call the
ornaments of everyday wear as distin-
guished from crown" or .'ecclesastica
jewelry. The Renaissance type of ring
was, like the rest of the jewelry of that
period, very elaborate and adorned with
snamels, canoes, and figures worked in.
cuu relief.
Diamond Begins Reign.
: During the seventeenth century facet
ed stones of mixed coiors were very
much used for ornamentation. and with
the eighteenth the diamond began its
reign and has been the ring stone ever
since; but still during this period there
have been other varieties made that.
without possessing a hundredth part of
the intrinsic value of a diamond ring
set with a large stone Of the purest
~ -.