Gold Ring Set with a Table-Cut Red Spinel in a Box Bezel

Spain, 16th Century.

Measurements
• Ring size: UK M ½ / US 6.5 / EU 53
• Bezel: 1.6 × 1.4 cm
• Weight: 6.94 grams

Description
A substantial gold ring with a box-shaped bezel set with a table-cut red spinel of deep purplish-red hue, showing natural inclusions and irregular crystalline formation. The stone is mounted in a rub-over setting that adapts to its unconventional shape, the gold subtly adjusted to accommodate the gem while preserving the rectangular outline of the bezel.

The reverse of the bezel is convex, with chamfered ends to which the slender hoop is attached. This type of construction is characteristic of Spanish rings of the 16th century, more typically seen with emeralds from New World sources. The use of a red spinel is notably unusual for Spanish work of this period, and its rarity would have necessitated the jeweller working directly with the gem’s irregular form, prioritising the preservation of such a prized stone over perfect symmetry in the mount.

The box bezel is typical of both Spanish and Islamic goldsmithing traditions. The small pointed projection at the rear of the hoop, however, is not a common feature in Spanish rings but is a distinctive hallmark of Islamic goldwork — a form ultimately rooted in Middle Eastern traditions of the Sassanian, Fatimid, and Mamluk periods. This detail likely reached Spain through the transmission of techniques from the Middle East into Islamic North Africa, and subsequently into the goldsmithing repertoire of al-Andalus. These forms were adapted by Spanish goldsmiths to accommodate the tastes of a Christian clientele, reflecting the deep and enduring influence of Islamic craftsmanship in post-Reconquista Spain.

Cultural and Historical Context
Red spinels, mined primarily in Badakhshan (present-day Afghanistan and Tajikistan), were among the most highly prized gemstones of the medieval and Renaissance world. Known in Europe as “balas rubies” and in the Islamic world as l?l, they were valued for their vivid colour, rarity, and durability, often rivalling or surpassing rubies in status. Such stones appear in royal treasuries, inventories, and diplomatic gift exchanges, and were set in crowns, reliquaries, and important jewels. Their journey to Spain involved extensive trade networks, passing through the Ottoman Empire, North Africa, and Mediterranean ports.

In the 16th century, Spanish jewellery was shaped by the convergence of Gothic and Renaissance aesthetics with inherited Islamic design principles. This ring encapsulates that fusion: the slender hoop and convex bezel reverse are rooted in Spanish tradition, while the box bezel and pointed hoop projection draw on a lineage of forms originating in the Middle East, transmitted westward through Islamic North Africa. The result is a jewel that reflects both the cosmopolitan tastes of Renaissance Spain and the persistence of Moorish influence in its goldsmithing workshops.

Provenance
Private English Collection, formed between the late 1970’s – early 1990’s.