Please Help Identify this ring

[festivities]

Hi Everyone,

I just learned how to use the handheld sony video camera and decided to take some pics of my jewlery. HOW FUN!! I have had this ring in the jewlery box for many years 10 atleast) and don''t have any idea what it is. I don''t wear it as it''s not my sytle. My finacee thinks the "stone" is made from ivory. Overall it''s really dirty, both the silver and the scarab, and looks pretty old and worn. Any idea what this is? I''ll upload two other photos next showing differnet angles.

Thanks!
Annie

 

[festivities]

another pic

 

[festivities]

side view

 

[festivities]

all of those looked so dark, I tried taking another under the light bulb.

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Looks like a replica Egyptian scarab ring featuring a beetle for the stone...

 

[valeria101]

The mounting may not be my style, but the type of jewel is!

It is steatite, not ivory. Ivory would be "weightless" in that size, while a stone would weigh down the ring. This was the traditional material for your average current-use scarab.

There are so many such items around (the vast majority being fakes, but also an unexpected quality of originals)... This looks like a well-crafted copy, with way more detail than your average Sixth Dynasty and younger originals. I feel not too many people would put the real thing in silver. The "industry" producing fake scarabs for the tourist trade (this mounting looks like such a local concoction targeted at tourists) is so extended and refined, that fakes turn out everywhere, even in experts' and museum drawers. Sad thing that...

 

[valeria101]

Since this is the first Scarab on PS, I could not really help posting a lit-up version of the pics

Who knows? Maybe there is more ignored interest in such pieces around... I hope!

 

[winyan]

Wow, I had totally forgotten I had two of these rings, only real, I got in Egypt in the 70's!

Adding them to the (growing) lists of things to post!

win

Edited to add:

PS You are right AnA, both of mine are in a far simpler pivoting setting in 14k.

win

 

[sumi]

I've never heard of a scarab ring. Could you please give me some background on these rings?

 

[winyan]

Hi there Sumi

Ancient Egyptians used representations of the 'dung' beetle as symbols of Amun Ra, their sun god...they believed the beetle pushed the sun across the heavens the way the dung beetle pushed the dung balls through the sands. They would carve these beetles, with prayers on the reverse side in hieroglyphs (parts of the Book of the Dead) to enclose in the mummy wrappngs of their dead. The most spectacular of these was the 'heart' scarab. Lesser peoples, common peoples if you will also followed this practice, even if all the mummification that was done was wrapping the deceased loved one in bandages, and slipping the scarabs among the wraps. It is these scarabs (authentic ones) that are found in the better scarab rings.

win

 

[sumi]

Fascinating! Now I'm even more excited to see pictures of your ring!

 

[festivities]

Wow! Who knew? This is great information. Thanks so much for sharing. The thing I like about it is the way the scarab folds down. Pretty cool.
Annie

 

[Jennifer5973]

Win, you need to post pics of all your cool stuff!