a buttery yellow gold ‘stirrup’ ring, with characteristic rising shoulders which terminate in a pointed bezel with triangular profile, mounted with a square shaped emerald cabochon, the shoulders embellished with applied gold decoration, possibly representing ears of wheat, hops or clusters of berries.
The most famous lapidary of the Middle Ages was Bishop Marbodus of Rennes (1035-1123) who wrote Liber Lapidum. In it he describes the emerald (smaragdus) as a cure for fever and epilepsy. It was also thought to soothe the eyes and ward off storms.
Provenance
Discovered by a metal detectorist in the civil parish of March, Cambridgeshire on 26th November 2022. The ring is recorded on the Portable Antiquities Scheme database ref: CAM-1BD43B and as treasure number 2022 T1229.
Examples of Medieval gold stirrup rings can be found in the collections of the British Museum (Museum Number:1885,0615.1), The Victoria and Albert Museum (Museum Number: 65,1871) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Museum Number: 2015.697).
