I somehow didn't mention this was a single sapphire until the very end of the video!
I've been hanging onto this one for sapphire month for the better part of a year- every once in a while, it makes the rounds online again as supposedly having belonged to Caligula, but it's almost certain that it didn't and that it does not feature a portrait of his fourth wife.
There's a bit of debate about which empress it actually depicts, though many people agree that it looks quite a bit like Faustina the Elder. Many people also agree that this ring is almost definitely not as old as is claimed.
I, for one, think it's a clever bit of Renaissance work done in a classical revival style, which shouldn't discount the craftsmanship or ingenuity of this work of art.
#sapphirebirthstone #birthstonehistory #sapphirehistory #septemberbirthstone #ancientromanjewelry #caligula #emperorgaius #gemstonehistory #renaissancejewelry
17 сен 2024
