A HIGH KARAT VIKING TWISTED GOLD RING, CIRCA 9TH-10TH CENTURY A.D.

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A HIGH KARAT VIKING TWISTED GOLD RING, CIRCA 9TH-10TH CENTURY A.D. Of circular form, constructed from multiple gold wires plaited together to form a continuous band, the upper half broadened into a wider plait of several strands worked in a dense herringbone pattern, the lower half reducing to a finer twisted hoop of two or three wires. The junction at the underside is secured by the wire terminals coiled tightly around the hoop in two adjacent collars, the loose ends drawn together and bound off in the manner characteristic of the period. The surface retains a soft matte lustre with traces of pale earthen encrustation lodged between the strands, the metal itself of a deep saturated yellow consistent with a high gold content. The construction belongs to the well-known Scandinavian tradition of plaited wire jewellery, in which lengths of drawn gold or silver wire were twisted and braided into rings, arm-rings, and neck-rings of graduated weight. The transition from a wider plaited bezel at the top to a slimmer twisted shank at the bottom is a deliberate aesthetic choice, giving the ring a frontal emphasis when worn while economising on metal at the back. The binding collars at the underside are functional as well as decorative, locking the wire ends and concealing the join. Gold was comparatively scarce in the Viking economy by contrast with silver, which circulated in vast quantities as hack-silver and as the standard medium for ornament. Surviving gold finger-rings from the ninth and tenth centuries are accordingly fewer in number than their silver counterparts and tend to be associated with individuals of higher status, with hoards deposited by wealthy landholders, or with the upper tier of warrior and trading society active across Scandinavia, the British Isles, Ireland, and the Rus' river routes. The high karat content visible in the warm colour of this ring places it within that prestige category. Rings of this type were valued both as personal ornament and as portable wealth, their weight equivalent to a known quantity of bullion that could be cut down or exchanged as required. Plaited and twisted wire ornaments of this kind exemplify the Viking goldsmith's preference for technical display over figural decoration. Form, material, and the visible logic of the construction carry the work, with the regular rhythm of the braid serving as the principal ornament. This ring stands as a compact example of the type, demonstrating in miniature the same plaiting technique used for the heavier arm-rings and neck-rings that survive from the great hoards of the period. Diameter: 2.3cm

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