Medieval Crusaders Bronze finger ring with blue glass stone - 0 mm (No reserve price)

Medieval Crusaders Bronze Finger Ring with Blue Glass Stone

Culture / Period: Medieval, Crusaders
Date / Period: 11th–14th century A.D.
Material: Bronze with blue glass inlay
Dimensions: Outer diameter: 22 mm
Condition: Good condition.

No shipping outside the European Union. Due to complex export regulations concerning cultural goods, this item cannot be shipped outside the EU. Please ensure you have a delivery address within the European Union before placing a bid.

Provenance information:
Object Registration ID: 797
The current owner purchased this object from a reputable Dutch numismatic auction house in Schiedam, the Netherlands. Due to privacy regulations, the name of the previous owner could not be disclosed. No further information concerning the earlier ownership history of the object was available from the previous owner.

Background Information:

This medieval bronze finger ring is fitted with a raised bezel containing a blue glass cabochon secured by multiple rounded prongs. The shoulders of the ring are decorated with fine vertical grooves, a characteristic feature found on many Crusader-period rings from the eastern Mediterranean. Blue glass was widely employed as an attractive substitute for costly gemstones, giving the ring both decorative appeal and symbolic value.

Finger rings of this type were worn by men and women as personal ornaments and could also reflect status, piety, or individual identity. During the Crusader period, jewellery styles developed through close contact between Western European, Byzantine, and Islamic artistic traditions. Similar rings have been recovered from Crusader fortresses, medieval towns, pilgrimage centres, and trade settlements throughout the Levant.

The ring was cast in bronze using established medieval metalworking techniques, after which the bezel was carefully finished and fitted with a polished glass insert. Workshops producing such jewellery combined durable bronze with colourful glass to create attractive yet affordable ornaments suitable for everyday wear.

Dating to the 11th–14th century A.D., this ring belongs to the era of the Crusader States, when extensive trade networks linked Europe with the eastern Mediterranean. The exchange of materials, craftsmen, and artistic ideas resulted in distinctive jewellery that blended Western and Eastern traditions.

This piece forms a tangible connection to the medieval world, where rings of this type accompanied their owners in everyday life and reflect the cultural interactions that characterised the Crusader period.