Of all the jewellery we handle, few things surprise people more than the court rings of Siam. They are heavy, intensely yellow, glittering with rubies, emeralds and diamonds, and built in tiers that actually move. They were made for one of the most elaborate royal courts in the world.
A court of many children
In the 19th century, Kings Mongkut (Rama IV) and Chulalongkorn (Rama V) of Siam were highly polygamous. Between them they had 124 wives and 159 royal children, and every one of those children needed ceremonial dress and jewels befitting their rank. As a result, Bangkok became home to some extraordinarily skilled goldsmiths.
The most important occasion was the Royal Tonsure Ceremony, the "cutting of the top-knot", which marked a royal child's passage into adulthood. Performed by the King, it lasted three days and three nights. The children were dressed in splendid costumes and adorned with jewels on many parts of the body, graded strictly by title and rank. Diamonds, for instance, were reserved for the highest-ranking children. Afterwards they were allowed to keep their regalia as a sign of their status.
Jewels as diplomacy
King Mongkut also used jewellery as a tool of statecraft. To keep Siam independent at a time when its neighbours were being colonised, he cultivated relationships with the great powers through gift exchange. Embassies travelled to England in 1857 and to France in 1861, carrying trunks of gifts made by the same royal goldsmiths who produced the court's own ceremonial jewels.
The most famous of these occasions was the reception of the Siamese ambassadors by Napoleon III at the Château de Fontainebleau in 1861, immortalised in a painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme. Among the gifts were two diamond rings that are still on display in the château's museum (F1518C and F1519C).
How to recognise a Siamese court ring
- Very high-carat gold. Siamese rings typically test at 21 to 24 carats. The gold is a deep, warm yellow and barely tarnishes.
- Riveted, rotating tiers. The head is often built in layers riveted to the body of the ring, with the rivet visible underneath. The tiers can turn slightly, catching the light.
- Rubover, closed-back settings. Stones sit in gold collets, often with beaded or granulated rims.
- Pierced and engraved bands. Thick shanks with chased scrollwork and openwork.
- Characteristic stones. Star rubies, flat-cut and rose cut diamonds, including the black diamonds associated with Siam, plus emeralds and rubies.
- Red and green enamel. Particularly on earlier 18th-century pieces and naga rings.
Garudas and temples
Some court rings take the form of sacred images. The Garuda, a divine eagle-like sun bird, had long been a symbol of royalty in Siam, and in 1911 King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) adopted it as the national emblem. Mondop or "pagoda" rings, meanwhile, recreate the tiered roof of a temple in miniature. You can read more in our deep dive on the Siamese mondop ring.
Why Siamese jewels appear in Europe
After the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932, many members of the royal family moved to Europe, especially Switzerland and France. Over the generations, royal jewels have also been dispersed through noble families whose rank declines with each generation. This is why princely Siamese pieces occasionally surface on the European market, and why so many of them carry French gold import marks, struck when they entered France.
Available now
- Siamese mondop ceremonial ring, late 18th to early 19th century
- Siam gold Garuda ring, late 19th century, with black diamonds and a star ruby
- 19th-century Siam cluster ring with rubies, garnets, diamonds and emeralds
Further reading: Anne Richter, The Jewelry of Southeast Asia (Thames & Hudson, 2000); Y. Bruley et al., Le Siam à Fontainebleau: l'Ambassade du 27 juin 1861 (2011).