Etruscan-style 20ct Gold Ring with Emerald

• Etruscan - The Etruscans were pre-Roman people who mainly inhabited central and part of north Italy, in the area corresponding to Tuscany. The civilisation was active from around 700BC until their assimilation into the Roman Empire in around the 4th century BC.
  
  With the increasing importance of Rome they were virtually wiped out, for Rome would not tolerate a competitive civilization. Many Etruscan rituals and aspects of their culture were taken over by Rome: Etruscan funeral games became the Roman gladiatorial combats and the science of divination came from the Etruscans.
  
  They were also incredible craftsmen in precious metals. It was said that the famous Etruscan Sibylline books of received wisdom were burnt by Rome and that the emperor Claudius was the last person who could read Etruscan, a language that is still largely undeciphered.
  
  Black and red figure vases attributed to the Etruscans provided the basis for the Etruscan style of furniture, decorative arts and decoration first seen in Louis XVI furniture in the 1760s, and then adapted by Robert Adam in England.
  
  The style was characterised by the use of the red and black colourways of the vases, together with motifs such as lions, birds, sphinxes and griffins.
  
  Josiah Wedgwood was inspired by the civilisation, and in 1769 he opened his new ceramic factory at Stoke-on-Trent, naming it "Etruria Works". Using the modeller John Flaxman, he produced wares based on what was thought at the time, to be Etruscan themes.
  
  At the end of the 18th and in the early 19th century, Etruscan themes were seen in glass, jewellery and furniture, and in the 1820s Coalport China produced a range of wares based on the Etruscan themes.
  
  Around that time it was discovered that the archaeological treasures attributed to the Etruscans were of Greek origin, but the description of them as "Etruscan" continued.
• Emeralds - Emeralds have been used in jewellery making for thousands of years, and are prized for their deep green colour, which is caused by the presence of chromium and vanadium in the mineral beryl. Because of their rare colour, emeralds are often more valuable than diamonds of a similar size and quality. In jewellery making, emeralds are typically cut into round or oval shapes to maximize their color and clarity. They are often set in gold or platinum and used as the centrepiece of a piece of jewellery, such as a ring or necklace. They can also be used in combination with other gems, such as diamonds, to create intricate and beautiful designs.
• Faceting - Faceting is a technique of removing material from a curved surface, to give a series of flat surfaces but retaining the profile of the original surface.
  
  The technique is most commonly associated with diamond cutting where the various cuts used such as rose cut and brilliant cut, add life and sparkle to the stone, whilst at the same time removing as little of the stone as possible.
  
  Faceting by grinding is also used to decorate glass. The stems of many drinking glasses are decorated by cutting a series of flat surfaces on a circular stem, and hollow vessels such as vases may have faceted surfaces.
  
  In furniture faceting is often applied to legs of tables and chairs, where a circular baluster shaped section is flattened so as to form an octagonal section.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• Etruscan style jewellery - rings 15
• rings, emerald - emerald 214