God Save Queen Anne

A high carat gold ring, celebrating the coronation of Queen Anne in 1702. Such a unique little curiosity, of which I cannot find a parallel example. Queen Anne [1665 – 1714] was the last Stuart monarch. She was shy, stout, gouty, and shortsighted. By all accounts her husband, Prince George of Denmark, was a drunk and a crashing bore. Anne was 37 years old when she became queen in 1702. At her coronation on April 23rd she was suffering from a bad attack of gout and had to be carried into the Church by Yeomen of the Guard on an open chair as she was unable to walk. At her coronation ceremony the Archbishop proclaimed, ‘Sirs I present to you Queen Anne, undoubted queen of this realm, whereof all you that are come this day to do your homages and services – are you willing to do the same’? The response, ‘God save Queen Anne’! was uttered with a mighty shout throughout the echoing arches, followed by a blast of trumpets. At the end of the anthem all the people shouted, ‘God save Queen Anne! Long live Queen Anne! May the Queen live forever’![From God Save The Queen! The Most Hearty Acclamations of the Lutherans in London, 1702.]

The high carat gold shank supports a compartment with a ground of woven hair and cerise-pink foil, surmounted by a bust of Queen Anne, in a gold wirework surround with motto God Save Queen Ann. It is covered by a faceted rock crystal. Anne is misspelt as Ann – this ring was made in an era prior to more standardised spelling, or perhaps the jeweller just ran out of room to include the final E.  The ring is size O [US 7] and the head of the ring measures 1/2 an inch by 1/2 an inch. Very fine quality, completely original and immaculate. A one-off.

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