A rare enamel and diamond ring

£1,000 - £1,500 £3,200

A rare enamel and diamond ring, 17th century, set with a table-cut diamond within a rectangular gold setting, the mount and shoulders applied with black enamel, suspending a heart-shaped pendant applied with black enamel, with the number 3 in reserve, size H

According to Diana Scarisbrick, (Rings: Jewelry of Power, Love and Loyalty, London, 2007, p. 88) the number '3' as a motif in jewellery is thought to be a German rebus implying a lover's fidelity, as in Saxon German the word 'drei', meaning 'three', was pronounced similarly to the word 'treu', meaning 'faithful'.