Antique Ring with Egyptian Faience Scarab

This beautiful 18K gold ring was made in France and dates to the early 20th century, circa 1920. It features a centrally mounted Egyptian blue glazed faience scarab, possibly Ancient dating to the New Kingdom ca. 1550-1069 B.C. The scarab drilled through the centre and would have originally been worn as a bead. The underside of the scarab is also engraved with various hieroglyphs.

In ancient Egypt the scarab was a symbol of immortality, resurrection, transformation and protection. They are amongst the most popular and most numerous of all Ancient Egyptian artefacts and were especially employed in the funerary context. These scarabs, both steatite and ceramic, have been collected for centuries and were particularly prized and sought after in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with a strong revival of Egyptomania in the 1920’s following the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. Many similar examples of cut and glazed faience scarabs can be seen in museum collections, those with the most similarities are dated to the New Kingdom period of Ancient Egypt.

UK size O, US size 7 1/4

2.81g, French 18K eagle head hallmark and makers lozenge mark. Scarab measures 10mm x 5mm x 6mm

The term faience broadly encompassed finely glazed ceramic beads, figures and other small objects found in Egypt as early as 4000 BC. In this instance it is composed mainly of silica (sand or crushed quartz), along with small amounts of sodium and calcium, and finished with a faded turquoise glaze. Faience scarabs usually have heiroglyphs incised on their reverse, ranging from family names to gods and good luck symbols, and could be purely ornamental or spiritually significant.