Mercury fishing

This is an extraordinary ring, the likes of which I have not seen before. The agate is Roman, circa 3rd century AD. The gem engraver has chosen a piece of agate with different coloured striations within the stone and incised it with a figure of Mercury in his wide-brimmed hat, fishing. The colour variations in the agate create the optical illusion that Mercury is wading in water. The high carat gold channel set ring mount is later. The ring is size O [US 7] and the head of the ring measures 2/3 of an inch by 1/2 an inch. Such an imaginative, clever little composition and virtuoso gem engraving.

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