Please note: due to customs regulations we can only ship inside the European Union. Please ensure you have a valid EU shipping address before placing a bid. Ring with a late Roman - early Byzantine glass bead. The ancient bead is set on a modern gold-plated ring and is free to rotate (swivel-type). Outside diameter: ± 23 mm Inside diameter: ± 17 - 20,1 mm Diameter bead: ± 12,6 mm Condition: good condition and wearable. The ancient bead is combined with modern gold-plated spacer beads and fittings. Signs of wear consistent with age and use. See images. Every ancient bead shows subtle variations and signs of age, reflecting its history and adding to the unique charm of every composition. Certificate of Authenticity: available upon request (pdf-format) for hammer price of € 100 or more. ANCIENT GLASS Glass has always been found in nature, but the humans first created glass about 4.000 years ago. when ancient craftsmen in Mesopotamia discovered the art of mixing sand, soda and lime to make glass. For centuries, glass was a luxury item and reserved for the upper classes. Glassmaking centers around the Mediterranean world experimented with new techniques (casting, core-forming, mosaic glass) and with colours by adding metallic oxides (cobalt, copper, etc) to the mixture. The Romans learned the glass-making craft after the conquest of Egypt in the 1st century BC. During the 1st century AD the glassblowing technique revolutionized the production and made it possible to produce larger quantities. By adding manganese dioxide Roman glassmakers successfully produced colourless or ‘aqua’ glass for the first time. Roman glass became a very popular material, used for beads, glass windows, mosaic tiles, tableware pieces etc. Roman glass was traded all over the Roman Empire and far beyond to Central Africa, Scandinavia and via the Silk Route to China.