This 1930s eternal snake ring features intricate hand-engraving, accented by a glowing garnet trailed by fiery opals.

HISTORY

The ouroboros (from the Greek "Devouring Snake") has been alive and kicking since the Ancient Egyptians, who first used it as a marker of the beginning and end of time in tomb and funerary art. Centuries later, the Romans embraced the snake as a symbol of everlasting love, but its popularity in jewelry is still most often attributed to Prince Albert, who famously asked for Queen Victoria's hand in 1839 with a gold and emerald ring shaped like a snake eating its tail. Their love story was known as one for the ages, and Victorians celebrated all things serpentine as the go-to signifier of never-ending love, rebirth and protection.

Garnet, the birthstone for January, has long been a symbol of love and fidelity and used in sentimental jewelry throughout the ages. Opals, the birthstone for October, were believed by the Romans to be the most precious and powerful gems of all because they contained the colors of all other gemstones, while Bedouins believed they contained lightning that fell from the sky. 

MATERIALS

9k Yellow Gold, Garnet, Opal

CONDITION

Very good - garnet and engraving show very slight signs of wear, commensurate with age. 

HALLMARKS

9k Gold, Maker's Mark

AGE

1930s

SIZE

Size 6. Ring measures 9.75mm at widest point.