the MinorMasterPieces Collection
jewels page 5
and now for a closer look…
 US $80
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R43 Seven Coins ring
This intricate openwork ring incorporates seven miniscule ancient Greek coin-lets, reproduced here in sterling silver. In a time before bronze coinage, silver served for small change as well--some of it VERY small indeed! The coins show a horse, a ram, a soldier, one of the Gemini twins, a satyr, Hercules, and Apollo. |
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 US $30
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R47 Athena hexagonal bezel domed coin ring
This faceted ring features the image of the goddess Athena wearing her signiature helmet, itself graced with a tiny recumbant gryphon. Such mastery of detail and artistry was the pride of the Greek colonists of Syracuse in ancient Sicily whence the original coin of about 300 B.C. came. |
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 US $30
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R36 Nine Pharaohs ring
This sterling silver ring features nine tiny Pharaoh heads, similar to mummy masks, taken from a tiny 24 carat gold fragment of ancient Egyptian jewelry dating from around the time of Cleopatra, the famous beauty whose fate it was to be the last "Pharaoh" of Egypt before she fell to the bite of an asp and her country to the gulp of Rome. Such miniscule yet phenomenally detailed workmanship is hard to believe in a time before magnification...
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 US $30
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R14 Zeus Olympius ring
From a Greek silver half-drachma coin of Olympia in the heart of the Peloponnesus from the year 191 B.C. showing the head of Zeus Olympius to the right, graced with a laurel wreath. The original coin is from the site of the first Olympic Games! |
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 US $30
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R48 Helios domed coin ring
From a Greek silver coin of Rhodes from around 150 B.C. showing the sun god Apollo-Helios in all his benevolent majesty. The huge statue of this god which stood in that city's harbor known as the Colossus of Rhodes was one of the ancient "Seven Wonders of the World". |
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 US $100
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R25 Alexander ring
From a Greek silver four drachma coin of King Lysimachus of Thrace from around 300 B.C., showing what is thought to be the first realistic portrait of a mortal human being ever; that of Alexander the Great (whose successor the issuer was). The ram's horn seen on his head is a symbol of divinity, as the great conqueror was declared a god soon after his death. On the reverse is the seated figure of Athena, a type copied through the ages even to the "Seated Liberty" silver dollars in America. |
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 US $120
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R50 Helios with Rays ring
From a Greek silver coin of Rhodes from around 150 B.C. showing the sun god Apollo-Helios wearing a crown of solar rays. The huge statue of this god which stood in that city's harbor known as the Colossus of Rhodes was one of the "Seven Wonders of the World". Stones shown are cabochon garnets. Inquire for prices with other stones as available. |
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 US $80
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R8 Horse ring
The image on this handsome weighty ring was taken from a greek silver half-drachma coin of Maronea in Thrace from around 375 B.C. showing the forepart of a horse. The Maroneans were renowned horse breeders and trainers in their day. In a time before TV and magazines, the coins of a town or region were often used to boost the local economy. |
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 US $80
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R46 Leucippus ring
The Pericles-like helmeted head used on this ring comes from a Greek two drachma coin of Metapontum in southern Italy, dating from about 340 B.C. The bearded subject is Leucippus, grandson of Perseus and legendary founder of the town. Coincidentally, the philosopher Leucippus, originator of the atomic theory, lived just a few years before this coin was issued.... |
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 US $80
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R3 Helios ring
The splendid face seen on this ring was taken from a Greek silver two drachma coin of Rhodes off the coast of what is now southwest Turkey of around 300 B.C. showing a magnificent depiction of the sun god Apollo-Helios facing three-quarters . The immense bronze statue of this god which stood in that town's harbor, called the Colossus of Rhodes was one of the ancient "Seven Wonders of the World". |
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 US $60
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R49 Alexander with Horns ring
So incredible was the achievement of Alexander the Great in his conquest of the known world that soon after his death he was declared a god. The ancient symbol of godhood were rams' horns at the temples of the god (a borrowing from the Egyptian depiction of their god Amon-Ra). Alexander is shown this way here, and to carry this theme out the ring bezel has been decorated with horns as well. |
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 US $30
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R16 Amphora ring
The image on this ring was taken from a greek silver quarter-drachma coin of the Thracian island of Thasos in the north Aegean from around 400 B.C. showing an elegant two-handled amphora advertising their famous local product of fine wine. In a time before TV and magazines, the coins of a town or region were often used as a medium for advertising local wares. |
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 US $60
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R53 Apollo of Marseilles ring
Apollo graces this handsome ring run around with two rows of bosses. Few people today remember that the French city of Marseilles started out in the seventh century B.C. as the Greek colony of Massalia, which is where the original of the coin used here came from. |
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 US $30
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R37 Apollo hexagonal bezel ring
The beautiful somewhat androgynous image of Apollo graces this faceted ring, a style much admired by the Romans. The demure and elegant Apollo was the patron of musicians and artists as well as a great beauty himself. |
For alternative ordering instructions click here to send an email to: robertsekulovich@rogers.com
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