Printed from Woolley & Wallis

Description

Φ Mosheh Oved, a silver ring, circa 1940, tenderly modelled as a young lamb in hammered silver, engraved to the base with a Hebrew inscription translating to 'Where is the house of my father?', size N1/2, unsigned

Mosheh Oved (1885–1958) was a Polish watchmaker who moved to London in the early 20th century, eventually becoming an authority on ancient glyptic gems, as well as an author, poet and jeweller in his own right. As owner of the shop Cameo Corner, firstly on New Oxford Street and then on Museum Street in Bloomsbury, Oved was a prominent dealer in antique jewels and counted many prominent collectors among his clientele, including Queen Mary. His famed series of animal-themed rings originated with the present design of a lamb, which Oved is said to have carved from wax in the basement of his shop to calm his nerves during the Blitz. The lamb was chosen for its symbolism of sacrifice, after Oved learned of the death of the son of one of his clients in the war.