This is a good excavated silver Renaissance 'fede' wedding ring, dating to the 16th - 17th century. The bezel of the ring is decorated with a pair of clasped hands, finely detailed and applied to the 'D' sectioned band. Such rings are generally called 'fede' (faith) rings. Rings showing clasped hands first appeared in Roman times, when they represented legal contract. Since the clasping of hands was part of the medieval betrothal ceremony, it is not surprising to find rings that can be attributed within the 'wedding ring' genre. Either way, it would be impossible to distinguish this ring as commemorative of love, betrothal or marriage - what we can say is that this ring would have been given to a man to wear. It is a nice example of an early wedding ring that can still be worn again today.
OBJECT: Fede Ring
CULTURE: Renaissance
DATE: c. 1550 - 1650 A.D.
MATERIAL: Silver
RING SIZE: 9 3/4 (US) T 1/4 (UK)
SIZE: 23.56mm x 22.60mm x 3.82mm (bezel 18.71mm x 7.24mm x 2.75mm_
WEIGHT: 3.5 grams
PROVENANCE: Ex. European private collection, Prague.
This item is guaranteed authentic and dates to the period described. A written guarantee can be provided on request. We accept returns if you are not satisfied with your purchase.