An Egyptian gold and amazonite swivel ring - Ptolemaic Period, 304-30 BC

Lot 390. With a rectangular tabloid bezel, one side carved in relief with a baboon, sacred to the god Thoth, seated upon a shrine, facing left toward a wadjet-eye above an altar, enclosed within a raised border; the other side with a hieroglyphic amuletic inscription, reading, "Hereditary Noble/Prince who is diligent hears his [the owner's] thought/speech," the bezel designed to swivel by means of a wire passing through its perforation and then coiling around the shoulders of the plain, tubular hoop. 1 wide (2.9 cm.) wide; ring size 12 - Estimate: $30,000-50,000

Provenance : Acquired by the current owner prior to the 1970s.

Note : Amazonite, also known as feldspar, was one of the Egyptians' six most precious stones. According to Andrews (Ancient Egyptian Jewelry, p. 42), "Egyptians called green feldspar Neshmet (nsmt) and often appended the adjective 'true' (maa, m3e), showing that it was frequently imitated by green glazed composition and glass."

Christie's. Ancient Jewelry. 6 December 2007. 20 Rockefeller Plaza, New York