Art Nouveau Signet Ring With Snakes & Oak Leaves

An Art Nouveau era signet ring, modeled in 14k yellow gold, featuring beautifully-carved, naturalistic snake decor. This sinuous pair of snakes rest (one per side) on the ring's tapering shoulders— they are cast in high relief, so that they stand out from the oak leaves that lie beneath them. These snakes have been made to slither "around" the ring shank, so that they eclipse its edge, providing an interesting disruption in profile. Each snake is crowned with a small, sparkling, old mine cut diamond. The monogram SW is hand-engraved onto the oval ring face, in curling period script; the inside of the ring is engraved with a dedication: "Harry to Sadie." This ring is finished with a high-color bloom. It was intended as a woman's signet ring (see measurements). It would be a great signature piece.

The letters SW have the advantage of meaning different things, outside of abbreviating a traditional name like Sarah Winters. It might stand for Southwest, shortwave, sex worker, socialist worker, sarcasm warning, switch, etc! Snakes (in this period) are a symbol of everlasting love, while oak leaves are symbolic of wisdom, strength, and nobility.

Materials

14k gold
Diamond

Age

c. 1900 - 1910

Size

US 6 1/4

This ring can be resized (up to US 8 1/4, and down to US 4 3/4). Resizing for this ring is complimentary (leave your desired size in the notes at checkout).

Dimensions

Ring face measures approx 12.5 x 11.5 mm; ring shank measures approx 9.8 mm at the shoulder and tapers to approx 2.4 mm at the base; diamonds (2) measure approx 1.25 mm.