The Journal

Wearing a ring that is nearly 2,000 years old is entirely possible. How to recognise genuine Roman rings, what sizes to expect, and how to wear and care for them.

Stickpins, watch fobs, desk seals and ancient gems: how and why antique jewels are converted into rings, and how a conversion affects value.

Why Georgian diamonds were cut, set and foiled so differently from modern stones, how to care for closed-back settings, and what to look for when buying.

Rotating gem-set tiers, high-carat gold and royal ceremonies that lasted three days. How to recognise the court jewellery of 19th-century Siam, and why it turns up in Europe.

A c.1720 Spanish diamond ring, and the surprising world of the wealthy nuns of Spain and Mexico who wore rings just like it.

What is an intaglio, how is it different from a cameo, and how can an ancient Roman stone end up in a 19th-century ring? Everything you need to know before...

From Roman Pompeii to Queen Victoria's engagement ring, the history and meaning of the antique snake ring, and what to look for when buying one.

How to tell the age of an antique signet ring, what the stones and crests mean, and how to choose one to wear every day, from a dealer who handles...

St Christopher, the Madonna and Child and St Barbara, engraved on a silver-gilt ring worn in England around 1400 to 1500. What medieval iconographic rings meant to the people who...

A plain gold locket opens to reveal the names of Lord and Lady Vernon of Sudbury Hall and two locks of their hair. The story of a rare piece of...

Built like the tiered roof of a Bangkok temple, the mondop ring was made for the court of Siam. We take a close look at a rare late 18th to...

In 1813 Prussians handed over their gold to fight Napoleon and received jewellery cast in iron in return. A rare c.1820 Berlin iron signet ring tells the story.